Evan Reed
Judge Kenneth A. King of Detroit 36th District Court on Thursday dismissed a sexual assault charge against Tigers minor league pitcher Evan Reed, saying he didn't find the alleged victim's testimony during a preliminary examination to be consistent.
"I don't find her to be a very credible witness," King said, according to a George Hunter of The Detroit News, who tweeted live from the courtroom.
“I’m not exactly sure the people’s witness..has been completely forthright," King said.
He also noted: "This probably has to be one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to reach."
The ruling could end a troubling chapter for Reed, who pitched briefly for the Tigers before being sent back to the minor leagues. It was not immediately clear if the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office would appeal the ruling.
“I have my life back," Reed said outside the courthouse, according to the News. "This nightmare has gone on longer than it should have. Now I can concentrate on on baseball and hopefully pitch for the Tigers again.”
Reed, 28, was accused of sexually assaulting 45-year-old woman March 30 at the Motor City Casino hotel in Detroit. They first met at a bar Royal Oal. He faced charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
"The problem is, what happened in that hotel room…no one knows," Judge King said, according to the News.
Earlier in the day, the woman testified that she thought she'd been drugged. And the following day, at the hospital, she told authorities: "I told them 'I think somebody drugged me. I was raped. I couldn't put a proper sentence together." She says she never asked Reed what he did.She also talked about drinking a strange tasting drink, and thought she was drugged.
During her testimony King asked the witness if she ever asked Reed what he did for a living. She said no. King later said he skeptical of that. Reed was with other people including Tigers reliever Joba Chamberlain, who was posing for photos with people.
She said: “He didn’t seem to fit the profile" of a player.
She said she was a big fan and planned attending opening day the next day. Her fingernails were painted with the Tigers logo, the News reported.
She testified that she had two drinks and then ordered third, which she left on the table while she danced with Evans at the 5th Avenue Bar in Royal Oak. When she started sipping the drink, she noticed it tasted sour. Judge King asked why she continued to drink it and she simply said she thought someone had added a lime to it, the News reported.
The two took a cab to the Motor City Casino. Video was played in court that showed the woman stumbling and Reed helping her walk.
According to the Free Press, the woman testified that she only remembers having the drink and then suddenly waking up in bed with Reed. Both of them were nude.
"Everything was spinning, my head was hurting," she said, according to the Free Press. "I remember getting up and kind of holding on to the wall and going into the bathroom."
She testified that she was in the shower with Reed, who started having sex with her. She asked him to stop, and he did, she said, the Freep reported.
After that, she went back to bed and Reed tried to initiate oral sex, which she refused.
Later, she was helped into a cab by a maintenance worker at the hotel.
"I just was crying hysterically and very upset," she testified. "My head was hurting. I was seeing double."
