The attorney for a former NFL player accused of sexual assault says a Miami Beach Police report left out some critical details that were used against his client in another state.
Former football star Darren Sharper was arrested in California in January on two counts of sexual battery. He is also facing charges in Arizona.
It was discovered on Thursday that prosecutors decided not to pursue charges in Miami Beach, where Sharper had been accused of another sexual assault. Sharper's attorney Brian Bieber says there were flaws in the case that caused the charges to be dropped.
But Bieber says a court in Los Angeles was given a redacted police report that did not reveal those flaws and that it hurt Sharper's case in that state.
"The redacted report was used by the prosecutors in Los Angeles in an effort to increase Mr. Sharper's bond," Sharper's attorney Brian Bieber said.
Bail was set in Sharper's California rape case at $1 million, but he was kept in jail after being indicted in Arizona.
The initial police report, which was released to the media and to the court, alleges that Sharper met the victim at a Miami Beach nightclub and the two went to his condo where she claims he committed the sexual assault.
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"In fact those allegations are 100 percent false," Bieber said.
Bieber said the complete police report he obtained in April shows the alleged victim was unreliable and was being coached.
In the full police report, detectives said the woman came forward after she saw on TV that Sharper faced charges in other states. Later, detectives said the alleged victim said it was actually a friend that saw Sharper on TV.
Bieber said other parts of the full report reveal how unreliable the alleged victim was. The full report, which redacts the victim and a friend's names, reads:
"I had to ask the [friend] to stop interrupting the [victim] while she explained... I observed the [friend] and [victim] texting in the middle of the interview. I asked [victim] are you going to tell me what happened or ...text each other."
Miami Beach Police sent NBC 6 a response in their defense saying:
"The offense incident report released on Feb. 20, 2014 was released with the narrative in its entirety. The only redaction made to the report is for the protection of the victim's identity."
The police department says the report in question is the detective supplement which was not completed until April and say there was no selective editing.
Now, Sharper's lawyer says he is using what happened in Miami Beach to bolster his defense in the California case.
"My understanding is the Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles is going to have some serious questions about why he was presented with a redacted and chopped up police report," Bieber said. "It's a poor reflection of the investigative process.
Meanwhile, the judge in Los Angeles is giving each side one month to come back with full details about the Miami Beach police report in order to continue the investigation.
