Kobe Bryant's Court Case News: Post your thoughts

[Walter Cronkite]

Kobe who? asked sheriff

On the day he got a warrant to arrest Kobe Bryant, Sheriff Joseph Hoy had no idea how big a case he had. He didn't even know who Kobe Bryant was.
"When they told me that the case involved Kobe Bryant, I had a blank look on my face," Hoy said. "The name didn't mean anything to me."

One of his cops offered a hint - he dribbled an invisible basketball.

"My investigator said to me, 'Sheriff, basketball! NBA. Superstar. L.A. Lakers. That Kobe Bryant.' I looked at him and said, 'So?' This case had nothing to do with his celebrity status."

It has been a brutal month for Hoy since he persuaded a judge to sign the warrant July 3 - three days after Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old college student at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards, where she worked as a concierge.

The sheriff sparked controversy when he skipped the usual step of consulting with the county district attorney first.

Under pressure

Accused of moving against his celebrity suspect too quickly, Hoy - on the job barely six months then - was pilloried in the press and called everything from a "dumb country hick" to an "incompetent jackass" in a slew of phone calls and E-mails that flooded his office.

"It was a surprise to me the amount of backlash we got right away," he said in an interview last week. "This past month has been a challenge, a real challenge."

Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett has imposed a gag order barring all parties from discussing the case. This week, at the request of Bryant's lawyers, he appointed a special investigator to determine whether Hoy's office leaked details of the case to the media. Hoy denies it.

He also denied a rift with the district attorney, Mark Hurlbert, who didn't file a sexual-assault charge against Bryant until 15 days after Hoy got the arrest warrant.

"There is no feud. I do not work for the DA. He does not work for me. ... I know we did the right thing, no doubt about it in my mind," Hoy said.

Hurlbert's office agrees there is no feud between the two lawmen.

"He is in no way at odds with the sheriff," Hurlbert's spokeswoman Christa Flanagan said.

Hardly the image of the leathered, rough-and-tumble Western sheriff, the 56-year-old Hoy is more a "granola tree hugger," as one patron at the Bush Creek Saloon - the town's only bar - put it.

The lanky, gray-haired sheriff does not carry a gun, prefers shorts and sandals to his uniform and spends his lunch hour bicycling 22 miles through the mountains.

"I don't like to carry a weapon when I'm not in uniform, and I only wear my uniform to events," Hoy said.

He moved to the tiny upscale town of Eagle in the early 1980s, after a long stint in the Army as a helicopter pilot that included a tour in Vietnam.

For 14 years, he was the town's deputy, running the drug and alcohol awareness program for a dozen years.

Hoy was elected sheriff in November and took office Jan. 14. Six months later, he was at the center of the most notorious rape case in the country.

[phoenix1820]

I Think He Did Mean To Have Sex But Went Overboard Because He Was Kobe. I Believe Kate Bcause Why Would She Lie. Its Not Like She Need The Money And Why Would She Put Herself Through Going To Court And All That. Kobe, I Am Sorry But You Did Something Wrong Be A Man And Stand Behind Your Action.

Kobe Made A Choice To Have Sex.
Being Accused Of Rape By Kate Is The Consequence.
Now Its Time For Koby To Take Responsibality For It.

[Walter Cronkite]

Judge Hopes to make decision by Friday

A judge said Wednesday he hopes to decide this week whether to unseal documents in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case that could include statements from his accuser and witnesses about what happened in his hotel suite six weeks ago.

The documents have been sealed since Bryant was arrested last month, but media organizations have sought their release. Legal experts say the records could include details from witnesses who saw the Los Angeles Lakers star or his accuser, or heard sounds from Bryant's hotel room.

The material could also outline what evidence has been collected.

Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett said he hopes to make his decision by Friday. He said if he does rule in favor of releasing the documents, an appeal will almost certainly keep them sealed pending a hearing.

Bryant, 24, is charged with raping a 19-year-old employee of the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera on June 30. He has said the sex was consensual.

Bryant, who remains free on a $25,000 bond, is scheduled to return to Eagle for an Oct. 9 preliminary hearing, where Gannett will decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial.

Little is known about evidence in the case, though District Attorney Mark Hurlbert has said he believes he can prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Records are sealed and Gannett has issued a gag order on attorneys and investigators.

However, documents in other sexual assault cases suggest the Bryant records include an arrest affidavit in which investigators describe their involvement in the case and what they were told by his accuser. They also could include statements from Bryant himself.

Search warrant affidavit and return documents would describe what evidence investigators sought and what they found.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has conducted tests on evidence in the Bryant case. Deputy Director Pete Mang declined to discuss details, but he said evidence in rape cases generally includes fingerprints, hairs, fibers, DNA test results and documents.

If the case goes to trial, Bryant's admission of adultery will put more emphasis on his credibility and that of the woman, legal experts said. But they also said prosecutors will also have to present convincing physical evidence.

"Credibility contests are especially hard to win in a criminal context where the burden of proof is so high," said Katharine Baker, a Chicago-Kent College of Law professor. "You really, really have to believe Sally more than Bill."

Without physical evidence, it will be difficult to convict Bryant, said Stan Goldman, professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

"It's not like this guy has prior sex assaults on his record," he said.

Any injuries suffered, torn clothing or screams that would be consistent with the use of force also would be key evidence.

"There are two issues in a sex assault case," Mang said. "One is I didn't do it, I wasn't there and yes, I did do it, it was consensual."

"This is all information that the jury will finally decide how much."

[bLaCkBoY]

So.., what's ur point!?!

I don't think Kobi's actions got anything 2 do with whatever it is you are postin' about, I mean... what r u sayin..he forced himself on to her!?! and hoping 2 get away with it!?!....in his lifestyle!?!...I don't know much about the 101 usa sex scandals but...I think the poor woman 's got ambitious goals to getting Kobi's back pocket if anything, hey..don't ask, it's a get rich quick scheme these days, jus about time b4 they make it TRUE TRADITION.... live a free lifestyle...I know I do!!

Johannesburg, South Africa.

[phoenix1820]

well what are you trying to prove?

I am just stating the obvious fact that kobe got himself in this mess because kate had no business being in his hotel room. He is married for christ sake and that in itself is reason enough to me that he may of did it. he not only committed adultery but he lied about it thats 2 of the ten commandment.

hey do the math man...the way i see it kobe has no leg to stand on. I hope to God that he didn't rape her and that this was a mutual thing.

I like kobe because before all this, he stood for all that a good dessent american that has wealth and fame stand for. He was the poster child of what the NBA looked for in not only an athlete but a role model.

Kobe has destroyed his image and mostlikely the trust of his wife and the rest of America.

[johnny trance]

good point phoenix.....and when did you learn to spell?