Former Detroit Tigers reliever Evan Reed was charged in Wayne County (Mich.) Wednesday with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, following an investigation of an incident alleged to have taken place the night of March 29 and the following morning in Detroit.
Evan Reed charged with sexual assault in Detroit
A former Tigers reliever is set to be arraigned following claims against him of a sexual assault in Detroit that allegedly occurred two days before the start of the baseball season.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Reed will turn himself into police on Thursday for arraignment. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison for the charges. Third-degree CSC in Michigan has occurred if "the actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapable, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless."
Reed remains in the Tigers organization as a member of the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. On Wednesday, the Tigers released the following statement: "As an organization, we take matters like this very seriously and we are closely monitoring the situation. Evan Reed's representatives are handling his legal proceeding that must run its course before there is any further comment from the ballclub."
A 45-year-old Bloomfield Hills woman told police in April she met Reed at a bar in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak the night of March 29 and awoke unclothed at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in the city some time the following morning. She told police she did not have any memory of what happened after meeting Reed at the bar, according to Shawn Ley of Detroit television station WDIV. She claimed to have seen evidence on the bed of being assaulted and that she was assaulted again when she attempted to take a shower at the hotel, and then was told to leave. She identified the alleged perpetrator as Reed after looking up his photo on the Tigers’ website.
In late May, Detroit police turned the case over to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who said in the press release Wednesday her office has taken its time since receiving the charges due to the amount of work that had to be done, including “poring over surveillance tapes and interviewing witnesses.”
“At some point, the [woman] finished an alcoholic drink and began to feel odd,” Worthy said. Worthy concludes that Reed knew the victim was incapacitated. “He is also charged under the theory that he committed an act of penetration when he had reason to know the victim was physically helpless or mentally incapacitated or mentally incapable to consent.”
The Tigers returned from a canceled exhibition game in Washington, D.C., on March 29, with their home opener at Comerica Park set for March 31. Reed was on the team's Opening Day roster. He remained in the majors even after the allegation became public, pitching in 27 games before being demoted on June 18 with a 4.88 ERA. In April, the Tigers refused to comment other than to say, "The organization is aware of the very serious allegation that has been made against pitcher Evan Reed. This allegation is concerning and we are aware of an on-going investigation. It would be inappropriate for the ballclub to comment further at this time."
During the investigation Reed and his attorney spoke with police. Neither has spoken with reporters after releasing a statement in May stating Reed has cooperated with police and expects to be cleared of the allegations.
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