Politics & Government
Ex-Tiger Evan Reed Looking for Another Dismissal of Rape Charges
Michigan Court of Appeals could toss the case alleging pitcher drugged and raped a woman; if not, trial starts in July.
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)
Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Evan Reed, who saw rape charges thrown out and then reinstated, received a stay of proceedings Friday as the Michigan Court of Appeals considers a request by athlete’s attorney to affirm the original decision vindicating him.
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If the court denies the appeal, Reed’s jury trial is expected to begin at 9 a.m. on July 13, the Detroit News reports.
Reed, of Royal Oak, is charged with two counts of third-degree sexual assault stemming from allegations that he drugged a 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’ Opening Day at Comercia Park.
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During Friday’s proceedings, Wayne County Circuit Judge Shannon Walker entered a not guilty plea on Reed’s behalf, and signed an order allowing him to travel between Michigan and his home state of California.
In August, 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King tossed the charges, saying prosecutors didn’t show the complaining witness was incapacitated, and that she herself “vacillated,” “backtracked” and lacked credibility.
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
The matter was remanded back to the District Court in November by 3rd Circuit Court Judge Michael James Callahan, who said King over-reached and abused his discretion.
Reed, who has said that he was “blindsided” by the woman’s allegations, has maintained they had sex, but claimed it was consensual.
Reed left the Tigers organization at the end of the 2014 season after pitching 32 games for the MLB team. At the end of the season, the ball club re-assigned him to the Triple-A Mud Hens, and he exercised his free-agent option.
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