A report surfaced yesterday that a decision on whether to charge Jameis Winston in connection to an alleged sexual assault last December would be coming soon. While that still appears to be the case, “soon” won’t translate into “Friday.”
Willie Meggs, the state’s attorney whose office is investigating the case, told the Tallahassee Democrat that there will be no announcement made Friday in regard to charging Winston in the case. Meggs met earlier in the day with his staff, including the two investigators he assigned to the case last week, the Democrat wrote, “to determine what else must be done before deciding whether to press charges against” the Florida State quarterback.
That meeting came a day after Meggs reportedly met with Winston’s accuser.
“We are tying up some loose ends,” Meggs told the paper Friday morning. “Hopefully, we will have a quiet day. ...
“I’m going to try to have all of our I’s dotted and T’s crossed. Hopefully, don’t overlook anything we could do.”
It remains unclear when a decision will be made by Meggs and his office whether to file charges against Winston, although that could happen as early as next week. The only known is that Meggs will likely not present the case to a grand jury, instead deciding himself whether enough evidence exists to pursue charges against Winston.
A DNA analysis, ESPN.com reported early Wednesday morning, concluded that there was a one in 2.2 trillion chance that the semen obtained from the alleged victim’s underwear was not Winston’s. Winston’s attorney, Tim Jansen, acknowledged Thursday that his client had sexual relations with the woman but that the act was “absolutely” consensual. In a statement released Tuesday, the family of the alleged victim claimed she was raped and that Winston was the perpetrator.
While a report surfaced yesterday morning that “extraordinary circumstances” might preclude it, an indefinite suspension is a near-certainty if Winston were to be charged with a felony, an FSU official told CFT Friday.
UPDATED 3:03 p.m. ET: ESPN.com‘s Mark Schlabach stated on the Paul Finebaum radio show this afternoon that Meggs informed him that decision on whether or not to charge Winston will come Tuesday at the earliest. No decision will be made this weekend, Meggs said.