Winston Rape Investigation Compromised by Cops, Prosecutor
9 replies
NaboCaneNew MemberOPIn his announcement, the prosecutor, William N. Meggs, acknowledged a number of shortcomings in the police investigation. In fact, an examination by The New York Times has found that there was virtually no investigation at all, either by the police or the university.
The police did not follow the obvious leads that would have quickly identified the suspect as well as witnesses, one of whom videotaped part of the sexual encounter. After the accuser identified Mr. Winston as her assailant, the police did not even attempt to interview him for nearly two weeks and never obtained his DNA.
The detective handling the case waited two months to write his first report and then prematurely suspended his inquiry without informing the accuser. By the time the prosecutor got the case, important evidence had disappeared, including the video of the sexual act.
It gets worse.
University administrators, in apparent violation of federal law, did not promptly investigate either the rape accusation or the witness’s admission that he had videotaped part of the encounter.
And worse.
A month before the rape accusation became public, the university’s victim advocate learned that a second woman had sought counseling after a sexual encounter with Mr. Winston, according to the prosecutor’s office. The woman did not call it rape — she did not say “no.” But the encounter, not previously reported, “was of such a nature that she felt violated or felt that she needed to seek some type of counseling for her emotions about the experience,” according to Georgia Cappleman, the chief assistant state attorney, who said she had spoken with the advocate but not with the woman.
The victim advocate was concerned enough about the episode to have alerted Mr. Winston’s first accuser.
Ms. Cappleman said that based on what she was told, a crime had not been committed. Nonetheless, Ms. Cappleman said she found the encounter troubling, because it “sheds some light on the way Mr. Winston operates” and on what may be “a recurring problem rather than some type of misunderstanding that occurred in an isolated situation.”
The whole thing looks and smells like business as usual in Bubbaland. It's a shame.
MikeHonchosubscriberUndefeated though
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Headcoach material wouldn’t want to work somewhere they’re not trusted with actual football decisions.
Fin Dforum_veteranThis disgusting cover up **** happens all over the country (think Penn State). Colleges are big business. Big business does whatever it wants to do. This is the country we live in.
Oboyluxury_boxWow. The cover up is horrible. Sounds like only a few people will ever really know what happened.
Only way I see it really coming out is if the other two players in the room (one of which supposedly videoed it) in time try to sell the story to a media outlet to make a buck. However, that is only true if it really was rape...
Who knows? The cover up was horrible and the school and Police Dept should have some penalties because of it.
MikeHonchosubscriberThis story needs to go national big time so parents see to not send their kids (daughters) to another morally rotten institution.
Headcoach material wouldn’t want to work somewhere they’re not trusted with actual football decisions.
Nappy Rootsforum_veteranResponse To NYT Story
The university expresses its deep disappointment in the New York Times' April 16 story alleging FSU officials did not properly investigate a rape allegation against FSU student Jameis Winston "in apparent violation of federal law." It also vigorously objects to the newspaper's characterization of the university as being uncooperative in explaining its actions.
The university provided the newspaper with a general statement (below) and numerous written answers over a period of weeks. Most of the responses were left out of the story, giving readers an incorrect impression of the university's efforts on behalf of sexual assault victims under Title IX.
State and federal privacy laws govern the university's ability to comment on a particular student or disciplinary matter. This is particularly crucial in cases of sexual assault, where victims may request privacy to heal. To interpret the university's silence as a lack of interest or an insufficient "level of energy" is utterly wrong.
In the case examined by The Times involving Jameis Winston, no university official outside the Victim Advocate Program received a report from any complainant naming Winston prior to when the allegations were made public in November 2013.
At no time has there been or is there now a complaint on record from a student referred to by the State Attorney's Office. The university has been aware of the information in The Times article, however, and has fulfilled all of its legal obligations under Title IX.
The paper's suggestion that FSU underreports sexual assaults is misleading. The campus statistics used by The Times to make that point do not account for the crucial fact that 83 percent of FSU's students live off-campus, where incidents are handled by the Tallahassee Police Department and are not required to be reported as part of the university's annual campus crime statistics. Despite this, the university provides full victim services to any student regardless of where he or she lives.The Times has done its readers, as well as the FSU community, a disservice by omitting these answers and by seriously misrepresenting the university's concern and care for its students who are victims of sexual assault.
fsunytimes.fsu.edu
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NaboCaneNew MemberThe case came at a time of turmoil for the Tallahassee police. In March 2013, a grand jury investigating police misconduct in an unrelated matter called police supervision “careless, uncaring, cavalier and incompetent.” The grand jury said supervisory deficiencies were so deeply ingrained that the city police, which has more than 350 sworn officers, should merge with the sheriff’s department, with the sheriff assuming overall control.
A grand jury recommends that a 350-member police department be decommissioned and folded into the county Sheriff's Office...and FSU is parsing words? Instead of conducting its own investigation?
It just shows how corrupt the institution really is.
smahtazforum_veteran"lmeister3 wrote:
this story needs to go national big time so parents see to not send their kids (daughters) to another morally rotten institution.
lol.
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. ~ John Wooden
unluckylucianoNew Member*cue the fsu fans*
On another note, between this and Sharper. Football ain't as fun.
thanks to VO for the sick ass sigs. 
Charlie: If you're not as educated or as informed what you do is you start your own party and you yell the loudest.
padre31luxury_boxHmm,convenient that the actual allegations were not really engaged, only the potential for a "cover up". The second female did not claim she was raped, perhaps she had bad sex
"Secretly video taping" iirc, the door was left open to the room where the two were engaging in sex, perhaps the videographer should have asked her to sign a waiver?
I'm a U fan through and through, for myself this has always boiled down to insinuation and innuendo, nothing has changed.
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