Carl Prine of the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW has new information on the aftermath of the March 5 sexual assault accusation against Ben Roethlisberger at a Georgia bar that was not pursued by the local district attorney as a criminal case.
(Milledgeville Police Patrolman Blash No Longer On Force)
Prine on the accuser in the incident, a 20-year-old college student:
The Tribune-Review doesn’t name the alleged victims of sexual abuse. Her friends, however, told the Trib on Monday that she has left school. Her attorney, Lee Parks, in a written statement said that she is seeking therapy because of the alleged incident.
Prine also had an interesting confrontation today with Roethlisberger associate and Pennsylvania State Trooper Ed Joyner, who was cited in the GBI investigative report by three different witnesses as having an alleged role in the incident between quarterback and the accuser.
GBI Agent (Tom) Davis confirmed that Pennsylvania State Police officials contacted agents involving the trooper’s role in the Milledgeville affair.
Reached at his Upper St Clair home before the report became public, Joyner screamed at a reporter, bellowing for him to “get off my property” before he reached the driveway. He refused to identify other members of the entourage from photos supplied to the Trib.
More on Joyner’s alleged role in Roethlisberger’s activities at the Georgia bar:
According to Garofalo, his entourage — which included off-duty Pennsylvania State Trooper Ed Joyner and Coraopolis Officer Tony Barravecchio — “even asked our age and were kind of surprised when I said 19 and the other girls, 20.” Throughout the evening, according to witness statements in the report, Roethlisberger ordered shots of tequila and called for young women to drink them.
One witness, student Nicole Biancofiore, told Milledgeville officers that patrolman Barravecchio “placed his hand” on the young accuser’s “shoulder and applying a little bit of pressure to guide her” to the staff restroom.
When Lubatti said that she tried to enter the VIP area to retrieve her highly intoxicated friend, Trooper Joyner “would not look her in the eye and stated he did not know what she was talking about.”
Johnson said that Joyner — who paid the bar tab — instructed him “to allow only females back to the area where Mr. Roethlisberger was seated.”
As for Joyner’s employer, he may not be completely out of the woods just yet.
“We have not seen the investigative report, but will have further dialogue with the Georgia authorities to properly evaluate the situation, should that be necessary,” said Pennsylvania State Police spokeswoman Lt. Myra Taylor. “We have no further comment at this time.”
Milledgeville Police Chief Woodrow Blue also told Prine today that the first responding officer the night in question, Jerry Blash, was no longer an employee of the police department.
Chief Woodrow Blue Jr. said Blash resigned Wednesday afternoon.
“He no longer is an employee here,” said the chief, who insists that Blash’s role in the matter didn’t compromise the investigation because the case was handed off quickly to detectives with the department and with GBI.
“His actions that night were consistent with our policies and procedures,” Blue said.
Though Prine reports:
“During the investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents learned that Milledgeville Patrolman Jerry Blash used salty language to describe the young woman, who was drunk. Reassigned from his night patrol duties, Blash, an 8-year veteran of the force, had his photo taken with Roethlisberger and several other officers earlier in the evening of March 4.”
Additionally, evidence at the potential crime scene where Blash was first to respond was destroyed:
Blue said the restroom where the woman said the assault took place was locked, but police didn’t mark it with tape to indicate it was a crime scene and a janitor who didn’t know about the incident mopped it with Clorox bleach and Pine-Sol, potentially destroying valuable evidence before GBI’s investigators could survey it.
“Naturally, we would have liked to have been in there and had a good look at the scene before that happened,” said GBI Special Agent in Charge Tom Davis. “It’s very unfortunate that any potential evidence might have been destroyed, but it’s also important to remember that usually the more important evidence is collected from the alleged victim, not from the scene around her.”
TMZ.com adds today on Blash:
In the report, investigators claim that on the night of the alleged incident, Blash admitted that after he encountered the accuser, he may have made a comment similar to “this f*cking bitch is drunk” or “this bitch is drunk off her ass accusing Ben of assaulting her.”
Investigators also report that on the night of the incident, Blash informed the accuser and her friends that “Roethlisberger has a lot of money” and if the women were to follow through with a police report, they “would be wasting their time.”
And of course we now know Blash took a photo of himself and Roethlisberger before the 20-year-old woman lodged her complaint against the quarterback.
If Blash’s conduct had no adverse effect on the efficacy of the investigation, why does it appear that his departure from the Milledgeville Police Dept. was not voluntary?
6:41 pm on April 15th, 2010
Firsties!
6:51 pm on April 15th, 2010
Her attorney is setting this cash grab up perfectly. Drop out of school and go boo-hoo to a therapist. Take Roth to court or persuade him to settle, and cash in. Pathetic. Unless he did push himself on her.
8:30 pm on April 15th, 2010
This whole thing stinks. Cover up all the way.
8:42 pm on April 15th, 2010
wow. what a horrible story. as for ben, this is not likely his first time at this. sounds like he has a system, with the bodyguards and everything. probably a habitual rapist, let’s see who else comes forward now that this girl has?
9:05 pm on April 15th, 2010
Ben looks like a fatter version of the Geico Caveman, when was the last time he could even see his slong?
10:59 pm on April 15th, 2010
Cmon, Steelers, show your class and dump this rapist!
11:10 pm on April 15th, 2010
AJC reporting yet another young girl Roth made advances on that her father told her not to report.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/gbi-report-accuser-claims-465574.html
6:17 am on April 16th, 2010
“….and then was the ever-present football rapist….” PEPPER
6:38 am on April 16th, 2010
I firmly believe innocent until proven guilty, so I don’t think being accused of crimes should warrant any punishment. However, clearly Roethlisberger is an asshole and as a Steeler fan, I would be very proud of my team if they dumped his fat ass.
7:51 am on April 16th, 2010
Man, I’m sure glad you told the accuser off earlier this week. She’s a complete fraud. What was your quote? Oh yeah:
“Also consider that the accuser immediately hired a lawyer specializing in personal injury claims, not criminal defense. That was a tipoff from the start that the accuser may have been desirous of a settlement.
In other words, those of us who have been covering this case the past month would’ve been better off at the driving range.”
Such a complete waste of time.
8:48 am on April 16th, 2010
so all you ptevious commentors witnessed the alleged assalt. why dont you go to the police if you think you have the answers. get a life and take care of your own business
9:31 am on April 16th, 2010
Roehtlisberger is a pig. It isnt his first time being accused of doing something like this. Even if he wasnt proven guilty, hes still a sketchy hick in my book. This is what happens when trailer trash gets ahold of money. He thinks hes bulletproof, but in the end everyone gets what they deserve. The steelers need to trade him, hes making an awesome franchise look really bad.
10:48 am on April 16th, 2010
mmh-
“….and then was the ever-present football rapist….” PEPPER
I am loving the Butthole Surfers Reference!
11:06 am on April 16th, 2010
What Roehtlisberger is, is an undercover petifile. He already has a history of sexually assaulting women. He is rich and protected criminal. Until he is finally caught with his pants down, he’ll keep on assaulting women. The steelers better get rid of him while they can..
1:09 am on April 17th, 2010
Fukkin’ black-ass Milledgeville cop…. kissing Ben’s ass and probably blowing him too for free Steeler tickets. I guess with him fired now, he can get a job on Ben’s plantation… serving drinks, checking Ben’s prostrate for cancer, cleaning the pool…. those other two shit bird cops? Joyner / Barravecchio should both be demoted to parking enforcement duty.
6:06 am on April 18th, 2010
No charges have ever been filed. Has anyone ever wondered about this? The lady in Nevada waited over a year to say a word and it has been proven that she is mentally disturbed. Now Ben is a huge name a Super Star and after the Nevada allegations that stink because of the waiting over a year to annouce them Ben now has a huge target on his back. Maybe just maybe this is nothing more than a money grubbing woman taking the oppurtunity to exploit Big Ben. All the things that have come out since the case was closed I would think would be enough to charge anyone even without video or dna evidence. Unless these witnesses are not credible and the accusations are untrue. I believe that Ben is probably a jerk but the only thing I think he is guilty of is being stupid and putting himself in situtations that he can be exploited. I am a Steelers fan and am not happy but this talk about getting rid of him is crazy. He has never been charged. Sit him down make him understand the importance of being smarter than to put himself in bad spots and move on. The Rooneys at the end of the day will realize that everyone makes mistakes and can learn from them. One more thing why is the accusers name a huge secret I mean is it fair that his name gets drug through the mud while she stays hidden. I also wonder why she was not cooperating with the police and did not want the matter pursued any further? Maybe it is because she made it up and would have been exposed in a trial as a money grabbing gold digging you know what!!!!! Ben needs to be smarter and not allow unsavory women to put him into this kind of spot light. Since the Steeler nation as a whole has obviuosly forgotten I want to say thanks Ben for the 2 Lombardi’s. I know it is a team game but Ben put us over the top thanks again Ben and there are still people behind you.
7:07 am on April 18th, 2010
Mike:”Ben needs to be smarter and not allow unsavory women to put him into this kind of spot light”
Ben needs to be a little smarter alright, maybe he should use his money to visit prostitutes instead of using drunked up, naive college girls and expecting everything to be cool when he zips up his playa pants.
How old is Worthlessburger now? Most adults usually out grow the frat-boy phase a couple of years out of college.
Playa Ben will pull this crap with the wrong girl one day and find himself staring down the barrel of an angry father’s gun and the Lombardi’s or his bankroll will be meaningless just like the girls were.
11:03 pm on April 20th, 2010
leftwich has come to save the day. give him a chance, dude can throw. he just needs the right players around him. enjoy the clipboard ben.
7:43 pm on April 21st, 2010
It’s losers like Mike who think its ok for celebs to do what they want because of their status. Big Ben deserves to be taking it in the a$$ like any other criminal.
8:11 am on September 9th, 2010
Mike is no loser, he is just more intellegent than you smitty3R, Everything Mike said was right on, why is this girls name being withheld? She should be charged for extortion and lying to the police. If no charges against Ben then that means no evidence, which means she was lying all along.