By JESSICA LUTON
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Authorities investigating a college student’s claim that she was sexually assaulted by Ben Roethlisberger two weeks ago said the attorney for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has resisted a request to interview him.
“We’ve made that request a number of times with his attorney, Ed Garland, but he has not yet granted that request,” Tom Davis of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Garland is a well-known Atlanta defense lawyer who successfully represented Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis against a murder charge in 2000, and Ravens running back Jamal Lewis against federal drug charges in 2004.
Davis said Garland has cooperated with authorities in every other aspect of the investigation, but the GBI agent declined to say if that included providing a DNA sample that could be critical to the case.
Authorities said earlier they had asked Roethlisberger for a DNA sample.
Davis and Milledgeville police Chief Woodrow Blue said no timetable has been set for completing the investigation.
“There’s an end somewhere down there,” Blue said.
“Our focus, the whole time, has been completing a thorough investigation.”
Davis said some members of Roethlisberger’s entourage the night of his visit to Milledgeville have been interviewed, though he did not name them.
The two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback was accompanied by two off-duty Pennsylvania law officers, one a state trooper, and Steelers teammate, offensive lineman Willie Colon.
The accusation against Roethlisberger culminated a night of barhopping in Milledgeville, a central Georgia college town.
The alleged victim told police she was sexually assaulted inside the Capital City nightclub in the early morning hours of March 5.
She was later examined at the Oconee Regional Medical Center, but the results of the examination have not been made public.
Jessica Luton is a reporter with the Milledgeville, Ga., Union-Recorder. Contact her at jluton@unionrecorder.com.
