TMZ.com reports Friday that the owner of the Georgia club where Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault, Rocky Duncan, “repeatedly” claimed to the website that he had surveillance video of the quarterback and accuser together during the night in question.
Duncan told TMZ the video clearly showed Ben and his 20-year-old accuser hanging out before the alleged incident — and cops speaking with Ben afterward.
But the attorney for Duncan, Carl Cansino told the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW that the security video has been erased and is irretrievable.
“The DVD system overwrote itself,” Cansino said. “Had it just been deleted, they might have been able to save some of it.”
More bad news for the accuser from the Tribune-Review:
Cansino shared with investigators copies of the driver’s license Capital City’s bouncers seized from Roethlisberger’s accuser weeks before she was seen with him. The date on the license was scratched and reworked to indicate she was born in June 1987 — two years before her actual birth.
The woman’s Atlanta attorney, Lee Parks, did not return messages seeking comment.
“She presented the ID, but the security saw that it clearly was a fake birth date,” said Cansino, a former county prosecutor. “Because she never got the chance to drink, security confiscated it and didn’t turn her over for other charges.”
According to Cansino, authorities told him the woman’s blood alcohol level was above 0.20 percent — more than 10 times the legal limit for drivers younger than 21 in Georgia and more than twice the limit for older motorists.
With that information, now public thanks to Cansino, it’s no surprise that the accuser did not show up for a recently scheduled interview with police.
From KDKA-TV:
Sources close to the investigation say that investigators have had trouble re-interviewing the woman since the night of the incident.
Sources say the 20-year-old co-ed did not show up for a scheduled interview a week ago yesterday and that as of Friday she still had not come in to be questioned.
So according to Cansino, authorities have obtained information that clearly discredits the alleged victim, which may explain authorities recently dropping a request for Roethlisberger’s DNA.
Add in the fact that the club security video showing the two together is now gone, and it appears that the chances of Roethlisberger being formally charged with a crime has diminished considerably.
10:14 am on March 25th, 2010
i am glad im not rich and famous, god knows i couldn’t deal with all the money and women. i think id be the white version of pacman jones.
10:16 am on March 25th, 2010
If it’s illegal to drink under 21, why is there an under 21 legal alcohol limit?
10:18 am on March 25th, 2010
years ago my buddy got a DUI because he was underage. if he had been 21 he wouldnt have gotten a DUI because he blew less than.08. otherwise the legal limit for under 21 is like.02.
10:19 am on March 25th, 2010
wait she had a fake id and was drunk? then it ’s ok to rape away! she was asking for it right?
10:28 am on March 25th, 2010
the legal limit for under 21 is 0.00 right?
10:44 am on March 25th, 2010
Her BAC is important for the fact that she was in the club. Someone there supplied her with alcohol (unless she drank that much before even going out).
The club’s security system is basically one big TiVo, but the video is stored for 30 days (or how long they want), but then erases over itself. As soon as the police started to conduct an investigation, the DA should have gotten that night’s actions. The club is in trouble as well for allowing minors to enter and serve them. They share a large part of the blame as well. Don’t be surprised if they lost their liquor license.
10:47 am on March 25th, 2010
Are Breathalyzer tests adminstered in cases other than DUI?
11:29 am on March 25th, 2010
That is seriously f***ing drunk.
No wonder she hit her head while blowing him.
12:36 pm on March 25th, 2010
BAC .20 = HAMMERFACED
12:52 pm on March 25th, 2010
Hmmm. A bar that wants to stay open. A player that doesn’t want to go to jail or be suspended. Looks like the only thing that may come out of this is a civil suit.
1:37 pm on March 25th, 2010
People people, let’s put out thinking caps on.
The punishments for underage drinking versus a DUI are quite different. That’s why there’s a lower DUI threshold for drivers under 21 years of age. You’ll still get nailed for both underage drinking and DUI infractions if you’re under 21.
Club isn’t in trouble because you’re allowed in if you’re under 21, you just can’t drink.
And yes, cops will often ask you to take a breathalyzer if they believe you have been drinking and are involved in some type of distrubance. (I liked to fight in college)
1:38 pm on March 25th, 2010
When did the attorney for the nightclub administer a breathalyzer ? If they confiscated one of her fake IDs, why did they let her back in the club two weeks later?
Looking forward to the Roethlisberger Rape Tour this coming fall.
1:40 pm on March 25th, 2010
Name another QB in the NFl that has had this happen to them once, much less twice? Bottom line is the man is a jeanius (sic)…
1:56 pm on March 25th, 2010
does anyone else find the caption on the watchmen poster behind Ben a little ironic?
1:58 pm on March 25th, 2010
Does anyone else find the caption on the Watchmen poster behind Big Ben a little ironic?
2:26 pm on March 25th, 2010
I think the point they are trying to make is that it is possible that she hit her head. .20 for a 20 year old, possible lightweight? I know people who have tripped and fell drunk with less than that in them.
Nobody deserves to be assaulted, drunk or not but I do believe that she should be held responsible for drinking underage and putting herself into a situation. I like going to clubs but rarely drink because of all the crazy things. I want full control over ME. She shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place in my opinion. Why is she not in trouble for it? No, she did not deserve this if it did truly happen (and I am now wondering if it did, even a non Steelers fan). Why no interview a week later? Why does her story change from what i’ve read. And her lawyer now saying she didn’t deny the interview? Confusion all around.
5:06 pm on March 25th, 2010
I BELIEVE, WE ALL MAKE CHOICES, AND WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE WITH OUR ACTIONS, THERE ARE SUCH THINGS AS CONSENQUENCES. WHEN WE AS RESPONSIBLE HUMANS, (CHILDREN AND ADULTS), REMEMBER THAT, WE WILL BE BETTER OFF. STOP PUTTING OUR SELVES IN BAD SITUATIONS.
2:19 pm on March 26th, 2010
UNDER AGE RAPING?
SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR?
GET A CELL READY FOR BEN ?
2:54 pm on March 26th, 2010
If it was rape it would have been rape when it occurred not just when she figured out she could not collect money..,. been there seen that .. I am not even a football fan but i feel like if there had been a problem she would tell all to the police.. There is something dubious for an alleged victim to hire a high powered law firm before outlining what happened for law enforcement to begin an investigation.
Seems very strange to me…
12:11 pm on March 27th, 2010
if someone was truly assaulted she would be cooperating fully and there would not confusion on her part. At the same time it does not look good for this to happen to Ben twice, once maybe but twice…come on.
8:39 am on March 28th, 2010
I am a Big Ben fan and hope this is not true. But I am also hoping that the “I smell a coverup” feeling that I have is also false. Ben is a great football player who takes a lot of chances on the field. I just wish in his private life he would be more like Dan Marino and less like Joe Willie Namath.
1:45 pm on March 28th, 2010
so he’s gonna get off
now the question is will the Rooney’s keep him around?
4:39 pm on March 31st, 2010
I don’t understand if she had a fake ID, had it taken away 2 weeks prior to her alleged assualt, How did she get back into the club? She must have gotten another fake ID.
11:53 am on April 4th, 2010
Everyone is talking about charges for the alleged assualt against Ben.When are charges being brought up on the alleged victim? In Georgia a Fake ID is a misdemeanor, if the bar owner turn it over to police why no charges aginst her yet.? She knowingly present a Fake ID, had a BAC of .20, and no charges for all that.