This is good news, for the Buckeyes, and for Carter.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/02/chris_carter_released_from_jai.html
Lawyer says lineman Chris Carter will not be charged with crime
Published: Thursday, February 03, 2011, 7:31 AM Updated: Thursday, February 03, 2011, 10:05 AM
By Michael Sangiacomo, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The lawyer for John F. Kennedy High School offensive lineman Christopher Carter said he was told by detectives that Carter would not be charged with a crime following accusations that he fondled several girls at his high school.
Attorney Harvey Bruner said this morning he expected that Carter would be able to fulfill his life's dream and sign with Ohio State University today, since Carter was released from jail Wednesday night.
Bruner said he spoke with an OSU coach about the situation and that he gave the coach the telephone number of the police detective handling the case.
Carter was held in the jail on suspicion of sexual imposition since Tuesday afternoon when several girls said he fondled them under the ruse of measuring them for Junior ROTC jackets.
Cleveland police spokesman Sgt. Sammy Morris said in an e-mail at 5:26 p.m. Wednesday that Carter was being released pending further investigation by the sex crime unit.
He may have the opportunity to sign a letter of intent to play college football at Ohio State University, where he has said he wished to play. While Wednesday was Signing Day across the country, when high school senior football players traditionally choose their college or university, the ceremony was delayed in Cleveland because of the winter storm.
Carter was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fondling as many as eight girls while pretending to measure them for the uniforms.
Cleveland police said a 15-year-old girl told officers that Carter, 18, took her out of her classroom and into a room behind the JFK auditorium and told her he needed to measure her for the uniform.
"Once inside the room, [Carter] asked the victim to take off her sweat shirt and shirt so he could take her measurements," the police report said. "He cut off the lights. . . and stated 'I need you to take your bra off.' The arrested male than put his arms under her arms from behind and attempted to pull her bra up."
The girl told police she refused to cooperate and left the room. The girl reported the incident to school officials.
Police said Carter admitted that he had used the same ruse on other girls. Police asked him to give them the book that he used to record the measurements, and he turned it over.
"The book revealed more victims," the report said, noting there was measurement information for eight girls in the book.
Another victim told police that Carter stopped her in the hallway and asked her to come into a room where he "asked her to take her clothes off. The victim took off everything except her panties" and then he measured her, police said in the report.
Carter is a member of the high school's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, lawyer Bruner said.
Carter was taken to the police station on suspicion of misdemeanor sexual imposition. He was held overnight but released Wednesday pending further investigation.
The 6-5, 350-pound offensive lineman, has received an athletic scholarship offer from Ohio State University and gave the school his commitment after touring the campus. Neither Kennedy High nor Ohio State officials could be reached to comment on the status of the scholarship offer.
Last year, Carter described his commitment to Ohio State as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
