Ex-NFL player Darren Sharper accused of rape, ordered to stay in L.A.
Former NFL player Darren Sharper was ordered to surrender his passport Friday after he was charged with two counts of rape by use of drugs and five other drug-related felonies.
Sharper appeared in court on Friday, but his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20. He was ordered to surrender his passport and stay in Los Angeles, at an area hotel. The judge also ordered Sharper to stay away from Bootsy Bellows, a West Hollywood nightclub.
Los Angeles County prosecutors allege that Sharper, 38, met two women at the nightclub on Oct. 30 and invited them to a party. On the way to the party, Sharper allegedly invited the women to his hotel room and gave them something to drink.
Both women allegedly passed out. One woman said she woke up naked while Sharper was sexually assaulting her. A second woman told authorities she woke up and “interrupted his action,” according to court documents.
In a separate case, Sharper met two women at the same nightclub on Jan. 14 and invited them to a party.
The pattern, prosecutors said, was the same. Sharper invited them to his room, gave them something to drink, and the women passed out.
When they woke up the next day, one woman thought she had been sexually assaulted. Both women left the hotel and sought medical treatment, prosecutors said.
Sharper’s attorney, Blair Berk, appeared in court with him on Friday.
“We look forward to the true facts being revealed in this case and we are hopeful that Mr. Sharper will be fully exonerated before this case is concluded,” she said.
Berk is a prominent Beverly Hills attorney who has represented several celebrity clients, including Cee Lo Green and Halle Berry.
Sharper was arrested Jan. 17 and released on $200,000 bail. If convicted, the five-time Pro Bowl selection who played for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints faces more than 30 years in state prison.
L.A. County Deputy District Atty. Stacy Okun-Wiese had sought in court Friday to increase Sharper’s bail to $10 million because of allegations made against the football player in Louisiana, Nevada and Arizona.
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