LOS ANGELES, 9 July 2003 — A Colorado prosecutor said on Monday he hoped to decide by the end of the week whether to file charges against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who was accused of sexual assault by a local woman.
Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, speaking to reporters after meeting with sheriff’s officials, said his office would make a decision after reviewing police reports.
“Sexual assault cases are extremely complex and sometimes it takes a while to get through everything,” Hurlbert said.
Hurlbert also dismissed allegations by attorneys for Bryant that authorities in Eagle County, about 105 miles (168 km) west of Denver, were “biased” against the 24-year-old NBA star.
Hurlbert stressed that Bryant would not get special treatment because of his fame but refused to discuss any details of the allegations, release key documents or even booking photographs of the five-time NBA All-Star.“In deciding whether to file charges, the same standards apply to Mr. Bryant as apply in every other sexual assault case,” Hurlbert said. “I will treat this case just like I treat any other sex assault case.”
An unidentified woman who works at a four-star lodge near the resort town of Vail told police on Tuesday that Bryant had sexually assaulted her while in town for surgery on his knee. Hurlbert described the woman only as an adult female and said: “I have talked her and she seems be doing OK, considering the circumstances.”
Bryant returned to Colorado on Friday at the request of Sheriff’s officials and was freed after posting $25,000 bail.
Because sexual assault statutes in Colorado cover a wide range of offenses and police have declined to reveal the nature of the allegations, it was not immediately clear what charges Bryant could face.
Bryant’s attorneys released a statement saying that the Lakers guard would be “completely exonerated” and criticizing the Eagle County Sheriff for taking him into custody. They said prosecutors had assured them that no arrest was imminent.
“Contrary to the direct instruction of the District Attorney’s Office, the Eagle County Sheriff’s office sought and obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. Bryant,” attorney Pamela Mackey said in a statement.
