Atlanta lawyer Page Pate comments on the Ben Roethlisberger investigation in USA Today
Atlanta trial attorney Page Pate of Pate & Brody recently commented in USA Today on the potential charges that Ben Roethlisberger may be facing. Roethlisberger allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old college student at a Milledgeville night club on March 5.
The USA Today article provides an update on the investigation.
Pate told USA Today that any charges will depend on the details that the alleged victim gave to police. Under Georgia law, a sexual assault can be charged in a variety of different ways depending on the nature of the conduct. For instance, sexual battery, a misdemeanor, occurs when a person intentionally makes physical contact with the intimate parts of the body of another person without consent. Such conduct may consist of grabbing a breast or a private area. On the other hand, the crime of rape is a felony and carries a minimum of 25 years imprisonment.
According to Pate, defendants who are convicted or plead guilty to sexual battery often receive a 60 day jail sentence along with probation for the balance of a year. Roethlisberger’s attorney, Ed Garland, maintains that his client is innocent of any crimes and that the police investigation should conclude without any charges being filed.
A Pittsburgh television station recently reported that Roethlisberger told Milledgeville police that he did have contact with the alleged victim but that he never had sex with her. However, the details of any official police investigation are still unknown.
