The original investigation into a December 2012 sexual-battery investigation involving Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston stalled when the complainant said she did not want to press charges, an email from the Tallahassee city manager obtained by the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat reportedly said.
The email was sent Nov. 12 by City Manager Anita Favors Thompson to Tallahassee city commissioners. The Democrat said it obtained the email Tuesday.
The Democrat reported that the email was sent because Favors Thompson was updating commissioners about media requests Tallahassee Police Department officials had received for a police report that she expected to "have national media impact." The city also alerted the office of FSU president Eric Barron, the FSU police chief and the complainant's attorney. "The young woman has been contacted as a courtesy to advise her that this information has been requested," Favors Thompson wrote.
The Democrat reported the email said the Tallahassee Police Department followed up on the case referred to it by Florida State University police "against FSU football player Jameis Winston." Further, the email said Tallahassee police initiated an investigation but stopped getting responses from the complainant and could no longer contact her.
"Shortly thereafter a representative of the young woman's family who is an attorney contacted TPD and said the young woman had changed her mind and did not wish to prosecute," the email said, per the report.
A Tallahassee Police Department spokesman told the Democrat that media inquiries would not reactivate an investigation.
"Someone integrally involved has (to have) given us a new piece of information," TPD spokesman David Northway said. "It has to be someone involved in the case (who) provides a lead to reactivate it."
TPD investigators turned over the report to State Attorney Willie Meggs' office for the first time Nov. 12, interim Police Chief Tom Coe said Monday. The Democrat reported that Meggs reviewed the case and determined more police work had to be done before the case could be wrapped up.
Meggs has said he expects a decision on whether to charge Winston to come within a few weeks.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
