Rape Case Is Latest Sports Scandal in Fresno

At the Elbow Room Bar and Grill, where former Fresno State basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian used to hold court and photos of legendary sports figures hang from paneled walls, patron Rick Miller sat on a stool Wednesday and ticked off the growing list of local sports scandals.

There’s the point-shaving debacle at Fresno State under Tarkanian, who arrived at his alma mater three years after being forced to resign from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas after it incurred numerous NCAA violations. And the 2004 slaying of an 18-year-old woman near campus by a former basketball star who was trying to buy drugs.

Now, the city is grappling with the alleged gang rape of an 11-year-old girl who ran away from a group home Friday and ended up the next night at a party full of Fresno City College football recruits.

Residents here say they are heartsick over allegations that as many as 10 men and teenagers may have been involved in the attack -- and concerned for the girl at the center of them. At the same time, many here are weary over yet another hit to the city’s reputation and sports programs.

“We’re sick and tired of it,” Miller, 59, chief financial officer for a farming company, said Wednesday. Like many here, Miller called the allegations disgusting and said that if proven, they represent depraved behavior on the part of the attackers.

Two men arrested in the case, Mackey Lee Davis, 20, and Eddie Scott, 19, pleaded not guilty to the assault Wednesday in a jailhouse courtroom filled largely by reporters. They stood side by side in matching red jail jumpsuits, silent as the charges were read: one count each of a lewd act on a minor.

News of the alleged gang rape broke Sunday with the announcement of the arrests of Davis and Scott. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer outlined allegations about the attack and the number of men suspected to be involved, as well as the alleged victim’s age and circumstances. The shocking details quickly drew national media attention to a city known for a strong sports tradition, as well as a long history of troubled athletes and athletic programs.

“If in fact it’s true, it’s definitely a black mark on the city,” said Linda Yerke, a county employee, after eating lunch at a downtown coffee shop.

The gang rape arrests came just days before Terry Pettis, a former basketball star at Fresno State, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2004 murder of an 18-year-old woman in a botched drug robbery. With both cases grabbing headlines, some in the community once again questioned whether local sports fervor has created athletes who think they can get away with anything.

On KMJ-AM (580) talk radio this week, afternoon host Ray Appleton echoed the sentiment of many longtime residents: “I’m sure this story is being amplified by the presence of Fresno athletes.... Fresno has taken a beating on Fresno-based athletes.”

One caller to the station’s evening show said he was stunned that some people were talking about how much the accused athletes may have thrown away, if convicted. “It’s aggravating to me that because these guys can throw a ball down the court or run a certain amount of yards, we treat them like heroes,” said the caller, who identified himself as Rusty.

Inga Barks, the show’s host, questioned why the football exploits of those involved have anything to do with coverage.

“If a guy is accused of raping an 11-year-old kid,” she said, “I don’t want to know their athletic history, I want to know the details of the case.”

The alleged victim, who sought help from passersby, had left a group home Friday with a 15-year-old female friend. Both girls were reported missing to police. A day later, the two went to a party in a rough southwest Fresno neighborhood where recruits for the Fresno City College football program shared two apartments, police said.

Fresno police spokesman Jeff Cardinale said officers had interviewed the 15-year-old friend. She was found Tuesday after police released her name and photo. She and the alleged victim are in protective custody, Cardinale said.

The Villa Hermosa apartments where the girl was allegedly assaulted is in a gritty, crime-ridden neighborhood west of Highway 99.

Residents there said that they do not understand why college-bound athletes were living in the complex, where violence is common. Late last year, they said, a young man was shot and killed outside an apartment a few doors down from where the alleged assault took place.

A 17-year-old who lives with his mother and two younger sisters next door to where the party was held Saturday said police interviewed him about the case. He was swabbed for his DNA on Monday after investigators returned to the complex, saying one of the players who was interviewed identified him as being among those who were in the apartment Saturday night.

The teenager, who is not a football recruit, said he was in the apartment for only five minutes and had no information on or involvement in any assault.

His mother, Valerie Tice, 38, said she was returning from the store about 7 p.m. Saturday and saw just ahead of her one of the football recruits walking up to the apartment with a girl. She said she had never seen the girl before and did not know if it was one of the girls connected to the case.

She described her as petite, and said she didn’t look 11, but “didn’t look of age either.” She said the girl appeared to be about 15, and she didn’t think twice about it.

“The guys look young too. And guys have girls over.”

At Wednesday’s hearing, Superior Court Judge John Vogt set bail at $55,000 each for Davis and Scott. They are scheduled to be back in court July 24 for a preliminary hearing.

Jack Revvill, a private attorney retained by Davis’ parents, said his client is innocent and believes he will be cleared by DNA tests. He said Davis, to the best of his knowledge, has no criminal record.

Considering local history, Revvill said he believes the defendants’ status as college athletes will “make a difference in how this plays in the media.”

“With Fresno, it’s kind of institutional. It’s become kind of a joke,” he said. “It’s a problem, because when Fresno gets negative national attention, it frequently involves student athletes.”

*

Hanley reported from Fresno, Garvey from Los Angeles.