The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a tumultuous offseason with their quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and leading receiver Santonio Holmes both facing potential criminal charges. A report has been leaked indicating that Roethlisberger will not be charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a woman in a Georgia nightclub in early March. A decision is still pending on whether to charge Santonio Holmes for an alleged assault in which he purportedly threw a glass at a woman in an Orlando nightclub.
The current incident was particularly troubling for Roethlisberger and those close to him because it was the second time he has faced allegations of sexual assault in less than a year. The case involving the Georgia woman arose as Roethlisberger faced a civil case filed last July by a woman who claims he raped her at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino. Roethlisberger has not been criminally charged in either case and has claimed counter-damages in the lawsuit involving the Lake Tahoe incident.
According to allegations in the Orlando nightclub incident, the woman allegedly was seen going into the bathroom of the club but later contacted police and claimed that she had been sexually assaulted. While there had been no clear indication, there were certain aspects of the investigation that suggested Roethlisberger might not be charged including the woman missing police interviews and the fact that Roethlisberger was not interviewed nor was DNA evidence requested from Roethlisberger. An official announcement on whether Roethlisberger will be charged is expected any day.
If the district attorney does announce that it will not be filing charges against Roethlisberger, then the Steelers will still await a determination on whether charges will be filed against Holmes. Holmes attorney recently made a statement indicating he had forwarded evidence to the Orlando Police that would exonerate Holmes of the allegations. The woman, who claims that she was cut above the eye when Holmes threw a glass, previously indicated she did not wish to proceed before contacting the police and indicating that she wanted the case reopened. Like the woman in Roethlisberger's Lake Tahoe case, Holmes accuser has filed a civil case.
Orlando criminal attorney John Musca points out that allegations of sexual assault are very serious and have an impact on ones reputation even beyond the potential criminal penalties. "A qualified criminal lawyer can help expose sexual assault allegations that are not true so that one avoids a prosecution that is without merit and the accompanying damage to ones reputation," said Musca. "Sometimes if a criminal defense lawyer is hired promptly, the lawyer may be able to convince the district attorney not to file charges."
For further information about Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer John Musca, visit http://www.muscalaw.com/ where you can review the firm's current case list along with their previous successes and obtain legal information. Musca Law is a full service Florida criminal defense firm servicing clients throughout the state of Florida.
