Colorado D.A. Makes Call on Bryant Today

Kobe Bryant will learn today whether he will face charges stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman who worked at a resort where he was staying late last month.

Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert said Thursday he will announce his determination on the charges during a 2 p.m. news conference.

In the past two weeks, Hurlbert has evaluated crime lab evidence and witness statements and also interviewed Bryant’s accuser, a longtime local resident who said the 24-year-old Laker star assaulted her and held her against her will in a room at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards on the night of June 30.

If charged and convicted, Bryant, a five-time NBA All-Star who has helped the Lakers win three championships, is subject to a jail term. He and his attorney, Denver-based Pamela Mackey, have said he is innocent. Mackey is in Los Angeles to be with Bryant, but neither could be reached for comment.

Bryant was in Colorado for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, a procedure performed at a clinic in Vail on the morning of July 1. Later that day, his accuser reported the alleged assault to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Department.

Bryant was arrested three days later on suspicion of felony sexual assault and imprisonment. Legal experts said he most likely will face the most serious charges or will not be charged at all.

However, another option is a charge of felony sexual contact, defined as a sex act without consent. A felony conviction on that charge might also result in jail time or probation.

Hurlbert’s deliberate evaluation of the case has generated significant local and national debate. Friends and neighbors of the woman have defended her claims against an athlete whose public reputation until this month was spotless.

“I believe her,” said Renee Scriver, who coached Bryant’s accuser in cheerleading and whose daughter is a close friend of the alleged victim. “She’s a good kid, always respectful, honest -- a good person.”

Bryant, who is among the most talented and popular players in the NBA, has received the support of his teammates and Laker management, who have said a sexual assault would be “completely out of character.”

There is also a divide among legal experts about whether Bryant will be charged.

“I think they’ll file,” said James Fahrenholtz, an Eagle County criminal defense attorney and former deputy district attorney. “The longer it took [Hurlbert] to make a decision made it more likely for him to file. If he had reason to believe there was a false report, and the evidence wasn’t matching up, he would’ve wanted to get it off his table.

“If there’s any physical evidence that comes back positive to a possible assault, it would be very hard for him not to file.”

Others, however, point to what they say seems to be a reluctance by Hurlbert to file charges in high-profile cases. Hurlbert, 34, was appointed district attorney in December. Pete Mang, a spokesman for Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which processed the testing of evidence in the case, said results have continually been provided to Hurlbert and Sheriff Joseph Hoy since Monday. Evidence was still being tested late Thursday.

Hurlbert told staff members he was intent on keeping his decision a secret until today. As he was leaving the sheriff’s office at the close of business Thursday, Hoy said Hurlbert had not informed him of the decision.

The father of the alleged victim declined to comment on whether Hurlbert had informed him.