Tuesday, January 14, 1997

Woman who accused Cowboys of sexual assault to be charged

By the Associated Press (Jan. 14, 1997)

DALLAS (AP) - The woman who police say accused Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin and Erik Williams of sexual assault and then recanted is expected to be charged today with making a false report.

Nina Shahravan, 23, of Mesquite could face a maximum of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine for the misdemeanor offense.

Police said they completed paperwork on the charge on Monday but did not file because inclement weather left the Dallas County district attorney's office short-staffed.

"It will be done Tuesday, weather permitting," Dallas police Sgt. Jim Chandler said.

The district attorney's office had not received the paperwork as of this morning, a clerk said.

Ms. Shahravan told police that Williams and another man had raped her while Irvin held a gun to her head at Williams' Far North Dallas home on Dec. 29. Police acknowledged the charge at a Dec. 31 press conference and named the two players as suspects.

Police announced Friday that they found no evidence that a sexual assault took place and that Ms. Shahravan recanted when confronted with the evidence.

A police offense report released Monday lists the city of Dallas as the victim of a "false report to police" on Dec. 30, the day Ms. Shahravan reported the alleged incident.

A man who answered the telephone at her parents' home today said Ms. Shahravan was not there. Ms. Shahravan has been in hiding since she made the initial report.

Police Chief Ben Click said he was disappointed that Ms. Shahravan invented the charge.

"It does make me angry that someone would do this, especially for the folks who were accused," he said. "It has caused us a tremendous amount of work. If nothing else, this has been extremely expensive to the public, and we could have been investigating a real crime."

Click did not speculate on her motives.

"There's a whole variety of reasons people do these things, but I don't want to speculate because we are still investigating the matter," he said.

After police cleared Williams and Irvin, their attorneys said they were considering legal action, possibly against the city or Ms. Shahravan.

State Sen. Royce West, Irvin's attorney, praised the decision to charge Ms. Shahravan.

"I'm glad they have not wasted any time in filing the charge against her," West said. "People should recognize what she's done, not only in ruining reputations, but also setting back the cause of sexual assault victims."