Decision on Bryant in Limbo

Colorado authorities said Monday they hoped to decide by Friday whether to file criminal charges against Laker guard Kobe Bryant, who was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel near Vail last week.

“I got the police reports today, and when I review them I will make a decision,” said Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert, whose territory includes Eagle County. “It’s possible he could be charged with sexual assault, it’s possible he could not be charged with anything. It’s possible he could be charged with something else.”

Hurlbert spoke at a news conference with Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy, whose deputies investigated the complaint and obtained a warrant for Bryant’s arrest. Bryant turned himself in to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Detention Facility on Friday. He posted $25,000 bail and returned to Los Angeles.

Attorneys for Bryant, who is married with one child, say he is innocent and will be exonerated.

Hurlbert had initially raised questions about the arrest and the sheriff’s methods. On Sunday, Hurlbert said Hoy had not followed the standard procedure of asking the district attorney’s office for a warrant. Instead, Hoy had shown a local judge the evidence and the judge issued the warrant. But the district attorney backed off a bit Monday.

“What’s done is done,” he said. “Nothing illegal was done, nothing improper was done. We are looking forward, not backward.”

What, if anything, happened between Bryant and the alleged victim at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera remains a mystery. The judge sealed the case, a step that Hurlbert said was common in Colorado sexual assault investigations.

Bryant, 24, had come to Colorado to receive treatment for his right knee, which had bothered him despite resting it for three weeks.

Although he had kept Laker medical officials informed of his condition and spoken frequently with them while choosing an orthopedist, Bryant surprised everyone when he returned to Southern California last Wednesday having already had arthroscopic surgery.

By his attorney’s account, Bryant flew to Colorado on June 30, underwent the procedure at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail last Tuesday, spent a second night in Edwards and returned to L.A. Wednesday. Dr. Richard Steadman performed the surgery.

While in Edwards, Bryant stayed at the mountain resort, where standard rooms can rent for $425 a night. “We have a lot of famous people stay here,” said an employee who did not give her name. “And we guard their privacy religiously.”

Pete Webb, a hotel spokesman, confirmed that Bryant had stayed from June 30 to July 2 but said he would not discuss any pending legal matter or compromise the privacy of hotel guests.

“The hotel attracts a clientele who wants luxury and privacy,” he said. “They come from all over the world.”

Without a reservation, visitors can’t even get past the guard at the gate at the bottom of a winding mountain road.

Investigators said a woman called them last Tuesday and claimed Bryant had assaulted her late Monday. The Vail Daily, a local paper covering Edwards and the surrounding area, said the woman was 19 years old. Authorities confirmed that she is an adult.

Hoy, the sheriff, said that based on physical evidence and interviews with the woman and witnesses, he felt he had enough for an arrest warrant.

“I had two investigators working 30 hours on this,” Hoy said. “I felt confident enough to have her sign an affidavit.”

Deputies questioned Bryant and then took their case to Clear County Judge Russell Granger. After reading the details, Granger decided there was probable cause to make an arrest. He ordered the case sealed as part of an ongoing investigation.

Bryant was told of the warrant last Thursday. He came to Eagle last Friday and stayed for about an hour. In that time his booking photo was taken, he paid his bail and then left, Hoy said.

Bryant’s attorneys and agent said the sheriff was “biased and unfair” in his treatment of the basketball star.

“We were told the matter was under consideration by the district attorney’s office, but there was insufficient information to issue a warrant or file charges,” said a statement issued by attorneys Harold Haddon and Pamela Mackey and agent Robert Pelinka. Despite this, they said, the sheriff’s department obtained an arrest warrant even though it had no ability to file charges.

Hoy denied he was biased, saying he sought the warrant to give both sides time to prepare a case. “There are not just two people involved here, there are two families,” he said.

Hoy added that he had spoken to the woman involved and that she was doing well.

The district attorney said sexual assault falls under a wide definition in Colorado law. At minimum, a conviction in a sexual abuse case would carry 18 months in prison, he said.

Bryant’s lawyers and teammates have defended him, saying a sexual attack would be totally out of character.

“Ever since I met Kobe, he’s been a class act,” said teammate Mark Madsen. “The Kobe I know is so respectful with everyone he comes in contact with. He’s so focused on his family and his wife and his daughter. He’s of such high character and morals, that when I read this I was almost sick to my stomach.”

Fellow Laker Kareem Rush also backed Bryant.

“We don’t know the details, what went down, but knowing Kobe as a teammate, knowing his heart and character, I know that [the allegation] can’t be possible,” Rush said. “He’s a high-profile individual. People are going to look for ways to set him up. We’ve got to watch our backs, and this is a prime example of what can happen if you don’t.”

Times staff writers Chris Snow and Tim Brown contributed to this report.