Dallas police are no longer investigating sexual assault allegations against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Police said in March they were investigating a woman's claim that Prescott assaulted her, but on Thursday they said they did not find sufficient evidence.
“An investigation was conducted and the case has been closed…Detectives determined there was insufficient evidence that a crime had been committed,” Dallas Police Department spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said in a statement.
It was Prescott's camp that made the suspicions about him known to the public. They filed a civil lawsuit accusing the woman of trying to blackmail him with false accusations of sexual assault and demanding $100 million not to report the allegations to police.
The woman's attorney, Yoel Zehaie, quickly countersued the sexual assault charge, saying the incident occurred on February 2, 2017, in the parking lot of Dallas strip club XTC Cabaret. Zehaie called the incident a rape.
The lawsuit was later withdrawn and refiled in Collin County, potentially in the same court as Prescott's claims. Zehaie told the Star-Telegram that he plans to press the case despite police dropping the case, claiming that an investigation revealed inconsistencies in Prescott's story.
“Unfortunately, the time it takes for victims to be identified can make these cases very difficult to prosecute,” Zehaye said in an email to the Star-Telegram. “While we appreciate DPD's efforts, this in no way absolves Mr. Prescott.
“In fact, we believe that our investigation has revealed inconsistencies with Mr. Prescott's story, and we are currently moving forward with the counterclaim we have filed. This is not the beginning of the end, and we believe that this is not the beginning of the end. This is the end of a long legal battle.”
Prescott's lawyer, Levi McCathern, understandably changed his tune, predicting that the woman and her lawyer would be found “guilty” once the full investigation is complete. In a statement to Shan Sharif of 105.3 The Fan:
“I would like to thank the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas District Attorney's Office for thoroughly investigating the charges against Duck Prosper (sic). We knew they would, but they An extensive investigation of the facts found no evidence supporting the perpetrators.''We are confident that the law enforcement investigation into this extortion case will prove that the accuser and his attorney are as guilty as Duck is innocent.'' I'm sure you'll find it to be.
“As I've said from the beginning, Dak is a great football player, but an even better human being. He never assaulted any woman. These false charges come seven years after the alleged events. There is one reason and one reason only for this to be brought forward: Their actions are an insult to all true survivors of sexual abuse, and fortunately, justice prevailed and these I believe that the extortionists will be severely punished.”
According to the Star-Telegram, Mr. Zehaie and Mr. McCassan have clashed publicly since the lawsuit was filed, with Mr. Zehaie telling the other party that he has a history of calling all women who accuse his clients blackmailers. “There is,” he claims. Mr Macassan has taken a firm stance that the allegations against Mr Prescott are “completely false and criminal”.
Prescott has pledged to donate all proceeds from the lawsuit to the Joyful Heart Foundation, which fights sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. The legal battle comes during an already tense offseason for the Cowboys, who are still in contract extension talks with the Cowboys a year before he became a free agent.
