BAD COPS

Florida State Held Up Rape Investigation

Got to witnesses before state attorney did.

A Fox Sports investigation has found that Florida State University administrators and Tallahassee police actively hindered the rape investigation surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. A woman came forward in 2012 alleging that Winston raped her, but the case was shelved by November 2013. Fox found that Florida State administrators and Winston’s attorney obtained original police reports several days before the state attorney, giving them a head start and a chance to discuss the case with two critical witnesses, two of Winston’s fellow football players who were present the morning of the assault. They both went on to sign affidavits backing Winston’s version of events, all well before law enforcement could meet with the witnesses and record their version of events. When the second-highest ranking officer in the campus police department learned that a reporter was sniffing around, he told the reporter the allegations were just a “rumor” he was glad to “dispel.”