Judge Tosses Sex Charges Against Detroit Tigers Pitcher, Says Alleged Victim 'Not Very Credible'

Evan Reed, shown here on the Detroit Tigers pitchers’ mound, says a judge’s dismissal of sexual assault charges against him are a chance to get his life back and perhaps pitch with the Tigers again. He’s currently with the minor league Toledo Mud Hens. (Photo: Leon Halip/Getty Images)

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Sexual assault charges against Detroit Tigers minor league pitcher Evan Reed have been dismissed because the complaining witness wasn’t credible and prosecutors didn’t show that she was incapacitated, 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King has ruled.

Reed, 28, of Royal Oak was arraigned last month on two charges of third-degree sexual assault after a months-long investigation into allegations that he drugged a 45-year-old woman at the 5th Avenue Bar in Royal Oak bar and then took her to MotorCity Casino Hotel room and raped the morning of the Tigers’ Opening Day at Comercia Park.

The woman, who King said was “not very credible,” was among four witnesses who testified at Reed’s preliminary exam Thursday, The Detroit News reports. The court also heard testimony from a coat-check clerk at bar, a maintenance worker at the hotel, and the prosecutor’s lead investigator in the case.

“This nightmare has gone on longer than it should have. Now I can concentrate on baseball and hopefully pitch for the Tigers again.” – Evan Reed

The alleged victim, whose name was not released by news sources, said she had three three Grey Goose vodka and tonic drinks, then got up to dance with Reed. When she returned to the table, the drink tasted sour, and her next memory is of waking up nude beside Reed in the hotel bed, the Detroit Free Press reports.

“Everything was spinning, my head was hurting,” she testified. “I remember getting up and kind of holding on to the wall and going into the bathroom.”

The maintenance worker who testified reportedly helped her to a cab when she left the hotel. “I just was crying hysterically and very upset,” she said. “My head was hurting. I was seeing double.”

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office charged Reed under the theory that the victim was too incapacitated to give consent to have sex, and Reed knew that. Reed has maintained he did nothing wrong.

At a news conference after his arraignment, Reed said the allegations against him had “devastated” his family and career. He admitted to having sex with the woman, and said she may have been making the allegations to cash in on his fame.

“The idea of drug use is ridiculous,” he said. “This has blindsided me. The conversation we had when she left was almost playful. She said she tried to find her cellphone. I tried to help her.”

Reed, who pitched briefly for the Detroit Tigers this season before being sent down to the minor league Toledo Mud Hens, said he’s relieved to have the matter behind him.

“I have my life back,” he told The Detroit News. “This nightmare has gone on longer than it should have. Now I can concentrate on baseball and hopefully pitch for the Tigers again.”