Friday, January 3, 1997

Dallas police chief defends police handling of rape case involving Cowboys

By Jason Sickles and Robert Ingrassia / The Dallas Morning News (Jan. 3, 1997)

DALLAS (KRT) - Police Chief Ben Click on Thursday defended his department's handling of rape allegations against two Dallas Cowboys' stars and cautioned the public against jumping to conclusions about the players' innocence or guilt.

Criticism of the department has been mounting since Tuesday when a police lieutenant told a throng of reporters that receiver Michael Irvin and offensive lineman Erik Williams are suspects in the reported sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman from suburban Mesquite, Texas.

"The only talking we've done is in response to media inquiries," the chief said in his first public remarks about the allegations. "Had we not done that, then the question becomes, 'Was the Dallas Police Department covering up?' "

Neither football player has been charged and both have denied the allegations.

"I've been falsely accused of something that I didn't do and I'm looking forward to the truth coming out as soon as possible," Williams said Thursday. "I'm not a bad person. I realize the responsibilities and the privileges that it takes to be a Dallas Cowboy. I'm looking forward to the truth coming out as soon as possible."

Williams' attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said Thursday that the accusations are baseless, and he criticized the department for conducting its investigation in the public eye.

"Erik is going to be vindicated," Ginsberg told reporters. "Unfortunately, by then his reputation will be tarnished."

Irvin's attorneys, state Sen. Royce West and Anthony Lyons, have offered an alibi for Irvin. They said a security guard at an entrance to Williams' gated neighborhood told them that he did not see Irvin enter the area Sunday night. They also said that witnesses can place Irvin at a sports bar during the time of the alleged attack.

Also Thursday, City Council member Al Lipscomb condemned the release of the suspects' names, calling for a special Public Safety Committee meeting to address the issue.

"The talk show hosts can do what they want to do, but Dallas' finest can't do that," Lipscomb said. "They are privy to too much information to go and hold a press conference when no one has been charged or indicted. You'll cause a riot in the city if you do that."

Chief Click noted that the department did not call a news conference Tuesday, but rather responded to questions from a large group of reporters who gathered that morning at police headquarters. He also said that the department routinely releases names of suspects who are named on police reports.

"I have no concerns about the way we handled it," Chief Click said. "It's certainly a high-profile case and has received a lot of attention a normal case wouldn't get, but in terms of release of suspects' names, it's something we've traditionally done and it's part of the open records law in Texas."

The woman reported to police that Irvin held a gun to her head while Williams and another unidentified man forced her to have sex Sunday night at Williams' home in Far North Dallas. Irvin, who declined to comment Thursday, has said he was not at Williams' home Sunday night.

The woman told police that Irvin videotaped at least a portion of the incident. Police seized three videotapes from Williams' home but declined Thursday to discuss the tapes' contents.

Investigators had hoped to speak with Williams and Irvin on Thursday, but neither man spoke with police.

Police described the woman as an acquaintance of Irvin and Williams. Chief Click said the woman knows the men well enough to identify them. He said she could not name the third man, whose identity the police have not yet confirmed.

"She knew a number of the Cowboys personally," the chief said. "It seems she'd be able to specifically name individuals that she knew."

Two friends of the woman have said she met several Cowboys players while working as makeup artist for the team's cheerleaders. Her estranged husband said she told him she met players while working as a waitress and dancer at a Dallas topless club.

The woman danced topless at a club as recently as October, according to a source who asked not to be identified.

Police said the investigation may take several more days or weeks. Chief Click said there is no timetable for the investigation.

"My primary message to the detectives is, 'Do your job,' " the chief said. "If it takes a day or a week or a month, do your job. The end result is to try determine the best we can what occurred and then from that draw some conclusions."

Ginsberg said the woman making the allegations is not credible, but he did not elaborate. The woman's estranged husband, a 22-year-old Plano man, told "The Dallas Morning News" this week that he doubts the woman's account. He said he has no first-hand knowledge of the reported sexual assault, but said the woman made a false rape accusation against him.

Two friends of the woman said Tuesday that they visited with the woman Monday morning. The friends said she was bruised and distraught. They described her as an honest person who would not make up a rape report.

In a letter to City Council member Don Hicks, chairman of the public safety committee, Lipscomb condemned what he called "the deplorable scenario of certain members of the Dallas Police Department to circumvent the due process rights of a citizen."

"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" Lipscomb wrote. "By holding premature press conferences and leaking nebulous information, we run the risk of prejudicing potential jurors and doing irreparable harm to a potential or non-potential case."

Hicks said he'd be willing to hold a special meeting, but said the department did not mishandle the release of suspects' names.

Chief Click said the department has been careful to protect the rights of the accused.

"People need to be careful about drawing conclusions about outcomes of investigations before the investigation is finished," he said.

(c) 1996, The Dallas Morning News.

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