Ex-Tiger's On-and-Off Rape Trial On Again

Evan Reed pitched for the Detroit Tigers and their Triple-A team in Toledo last year. He is now a free agent. (Photo by Leon Halip / Getty Images)

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Ex-Detroit Tigers pitcher Evan Reed is headed to trial in August on charges that he drugged and then raped a woman he met in a Royal Oak bar last spring.

On Thursday, 36th District Court Judge Shannon Walker set an Aug. 18 date for Reed’s jury trial on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, The Detroit News reports. A pre-trial conference will be held July 17.

Reed, formerly of Royal Oak, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Authorities allege he drugged a then 45-year-old woman at the 5th Avenue Bar in Royal Oak, then took her to MotorCity Casino Hotel room and raped the morning of the Tigers’ 2014 Opening Day at Comerica Park.

Reed has insisted throughout the proceedings the two had consensual sex.

Related

• Former Tigers Pitcher Charged in Alleged Drugging, Raping of Woman
• Judge Tosses Sex Charges Against Detroit Tigers Pitcher, Says Alleged Victim ‘Not Very Credible’
• Judge Reinstates Charges Against Ex-Tiger Evan Reed
• Ex-Tiger Evan Reed Looking for Another Dismissal of Rape Charges

The case against the ball player, now a free agent living in California after pitching last season for the Tigers and the team’s Triple A franchise in Toledo, was dismissed by a judge who said the alleged victim wasn’t credible, but then reinstated in November.

Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Suzette Samuels said in court Thursday that there’s no plea offer on the table.

The prosecution is expected to call about 20 witnesses in the case, according to The Detroit News.