http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13974162p-14808107c.html
(Props to the Bee for putting this in the banner at the top of page 1 AND for putting the story on page 1 of the Metro section, since that's where R.E. Graswich's column appears and he was the one following this story...VF21)
DA investigation clears Kings' Bibby in bar brawls
By Ed Fletcher and Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, December 13, 2005
The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office on Monday cleared Kings guard Mike Bibby of any criminal wrongdoing related to two September midtown bar fights where he and his friends were present, and said it found insufficient evidence to charge anyone involved in the incidents.
Of the two melees, the fight at MoMo Lounge at 28th and J streets was considered more serious because the accuser suffered a broken nose, hairline fracture to his jaw and numerous cuts and bruises, according to the DA's Office's five-page memorandum.
The injured man - not identified by the DA's Office - claimed he was assaulted by Bibby and members of his entourage known as "Team Dime."
"The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that Mike Bibby was not personally involved in the altercation" in the Sept. 12 incident, District Attorney Jan Scully said in news release Monday.
Just prior to the team's departure for a four-game road trip Monday, Bibby told The Bee that money motivated the allegations.
"I told you from the start, nothing happened. I told you we aren't trying to start any trouble," Bibby said. "There is somebody trying to make a quick buck."
In addition, Scully's office rejected a request from city police detectives for arrest warrants for Bibby's brother-in-law and Phoenix Suns guard Eddie House and for Rob Robinson, who is not associated with Bibby or the injured man.
The District Attorney's Office said conflicting witness statements and evidence, as well as no clear indication of who started the fights, led it to decide not to pursue a criminal case. And the DA's Office said the injured man's story changed under questioning, and he refused to identify a key witness.
"There is no reasonable likelihood of conviction here," said Lana Wyant, a deputy district attorney. "The bottom line is, it's impossible to tell who did what."
Geoff Petrie, the Kings president of basketball operations, said Bibby's involvement was minimal. "This has had nothing to do with Mike Bibby," Petrie said.
The Sept. 12 incident, which the district attorney's report characterized as a classic bar fight, occurred around 1 a.m. at the MoMo Lounge.
The accuser claimed he was shoved in the back for no reason, punched by Bibby and attacked by others. Other accounts of the incident differ dramatically from his.
Bibby, his personal assistant Matthew Neilson and cousin Raymond Walcott described the alleged victim as intentionally bumping into Bibby, then punching Walcott in the nose.
According to the DA's report, Sacramento Police Department officers interviewed nearly 40 witnesses. Of those, only the alleged victim claims that Bibby threw a punch, and investigators found at least three disinterested witnesses who said Bibby was "standing away from the area of the brawl."
Authorities also investigated an incident that took place 10 days earlier outside the Blue Cue billiard lounge near the corner of 28th and J streets in midtown. According to that report, there was a heated exchange between Bibby's group and some patrons in a rented limousine.
"There are numerous problems with a prosecution of this case, including the fact that the alleged victims in the limousine had been drinking, were the initial instigators of the argument, the fight appeared to be mutual, and the injuries, if any, were insignificant," the memorandum said.
About the writer: The Bee's Ed Fletcher can be reached at (916) 321-1269 or efletcher@sacbee.com.
(Props to the Bee for putting this in the banner at the top of page 1 AND for putting the story on page 1 of the Metro section, since that's where R.E. Graswich's column appears and he was the one following this story...VF21)
DA investigation clears Kings' Bibby in bar brawls
By Ed Fletcher and Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, December 13, 2005
The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office on Monday cleared Kings guard Mike Bibby of any criminal wrongdoing related to two September midtown bar fights where he and his friends were present, and said it found insufficient evidence to charge anyone involved in the incidents.
Of the two melees, the fight at MoMo Lounge at 28th and J streets was considered more serious because the accuser suffered a broken nose, hairline fracture to his jaw and numerous cuts and bruises, according to the DA's Office's five-page memorandum.
The injured man - not identified by the DA's Office - claimed he was assaulted by Bibby and members of his entourage known as "Team Dime."
"The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that Mike Bibby was not personally involved in the altercation" in the Sept. 12 incident, District Attorney Jan Scully said in news release Monday.
Just prior to the team's departure for a four-game road trip Monday, Bibby told The Bee that money motivated the allegations.
"I told you from the start, nothing happened. I told you we aren't trying to start any trouble," Bibby said. "There is somebody trying to make a quick buck."
In addition, Scully's office rejected a request from city police detectives for arrest warrants for Bibby's brother-in-law and Phoenix Suns guard Eddie House and for Rob Robinson, who is not associated with Bibby or the injured man.
The District Attorney's Office said conflicting witness statements and evidence, as well as no clear indication of who started the fights, led it to decide not to pursue a criminal case. And the DA's Office said the injured man's story changed under questioning, and he refused to identify a key witness.
"There is no reasonable likelihood of conviction here," said Lana Wyant, a deputy district attorney. "The bottom line is, it's impossible to tell who did what."
Geoff Petrie, the Kings president of basketball operations, said Bibby's involvement was minimal. "This has had nothing to do with Mike Bibby," Petrie said.
The Sept. 12 incident, which the district attorney's report characterized as a classic bar fight, occurred around 1 a.m. at the MoMo Lounge.
The accuser claimed he was shoved in the back for no reason, punched by Bibby and attacked by others. Other accounts of the incident differ dramatically from his.
Bibby, his personal assistant Matthew Neilson and cousin Raymond Walcott described the alleged victim as intentionally bumping into Bibby, then punching Walcott in the nose.
According to the DA's report, Sacramento Police Department officers interviewed nearly 40 witnesses. Of those, only the alleged victim claims that Bibby threw a punch, and investigators found at least three disinterested witnesses who said Bibby was "standing away from the area of the brawl."
Authorities also investigated an incident that took place 10 days earlier outside the Blue Cue billiard lounge near the corner of 28th and J streets in midtown. According to that report, there was a heated exchange between Bibby's group and some patrons in a rented limousine.
"There are numerous problems with a prosecution of this case, including the fact that the alleged victims in the limousine had been drinking, were the initial instigators of the argument, the fight appeared to be mutual, and the injuries, if any, were insignificant," the memorandum said.
About the writer: The Bee's Ed Fletcher can be reached at (916) 321-1269 or efletcher@sacbee.com.
