YOUR AD HERE »

Judge orders trial in Byrant case

David O. Williams

As expected, Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett Monday ordered a trial in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, setting a Nov. 10 first appearance in district court.”The court finds that the evidence, taken in a light most favorable to the prosecution, is sufficient to ‘induce a reasonable belief’ that defendant committed sexual assault as charged,” Gannett wrote in an eight-page decision.&quotI was confident that he would bind the case over and remain confident in our case,&quot said Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.Byrant, 25, a superstar guard with Los Angeles Lakers, faces one count of third-degree sexual assault for a June 30 encounter with a concierge at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera.Bryant claims the encounter was consensual; the alleged victim says it started that way but wound up with the NBA player putting his hands around her neck, bending her over a chair and vaginally raping her from behind in Bryant’s hotel room.At a two-day preliminary hearing Oct. 9 and 15, the state put an Eagle County Sheriff’s deputy on the stand to outline the alleged victim’s claims, as well as testify about the result’s of a nurse’s examination of the 19-year-old Eagle Valley High School graduate.Defense lawyers poked numerous holes in his testimony, but Gannett ruled Monday that he did not take the alleged victim’s credibility into account when determining if there was enough probable cause to send the case to district court.Bryant will be required to appear Nov. 10, and will likely enter a not-guilty plea at that time.


Support Local Journalism