FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Rape charges will not be filed against three New York Mets players because prosecutors say they do not have enough evidence to pursue the case.
State Attorney Bruce Colton said Thursday the accuser, a 31-year-old New York City architect, waited too long to file her formal complaint against Dwight Gooden, Vince Coleman and Daryl Boston.
Colton said after a 36-day investigation and a 450-page report from Port St. Lucie detectives, he was still left with 'problems involved in proving' whether a crime occurred.
'This was not an easy decision,' he said. 'It is, however, a decision that we feel is dictated by ethical duty and the law.'
Colton said he met with the woman Tuesday and told her of his decision not to prosecute.
'She expressed disappointment but understands the legal and factual problems,' he said.
Gooden was reached in St. Louis, where the Mets played the Cardinals Thursday.
'I'm very happy it turned out this way,' he said. 'I was confident the right decision would be made. I want to put this behind me and play baseball and help the Mets win.'
Added Coleman: 'I want to thank all the people that stood by me in New York and here in St. Louis. I had my name and picture all over the papers. I was confident in the legal system and I hope everything will be OK.'
The woman lives part-time in northern Palm Beach County. She told police on March 3 she met the three players at a bar south of Port St. Lucie on March 29, 1991, had a few beers and drove Gooden to a house he rented for spring training.
She said Coleman and Boston, who had been at the bar, were waiting at the house. The woman told police that sometime early March 30 Gooden raped her and the other two forced her to have oral sex.
She was in touch with Port St. Lucie police a few days afterward, but waited nearly a year before actually going forward. She had said she was motivated to act in the wake of the accusations of beauty queen Desiree Washington against boxer Mike Tyson, who was convicted of rape Feb. 10.
Colton said the long delay between the alleged attack and the formal complaint, coupled with inconsistencies in the woman's statements, made successful prosecution unlikely.
The three players had refused to give police any statements regarding the alleged events, but Colton said polygraph tests provided by their attorneys were credible.
'Our polygraph operator reviewed the tests and is of the opinion that the tests given were valid and the questions administered in the proper manner,' he said.
Evidence from a lie detector test is admissible in Florida, only if both sides agree to the test and only if they agree before the test is administered.
Coleman's attorney, Ed Galante, said: 'As of today the accusations against Vince Coleman will go no further, thank God. Our intense work and investigation helped them arrive at this just result.'
Colton said only Gooden's semen was found on the dress worn by the woman on the night of the alleged rape. She contended all three players had sex with her.
Gooden's attorney, Joe Ficarrotta, said he remains concerned about a civil suit. In Florida, there is a two-year statute of limitations for a personal injury suit.
'This was a thorough and exhaustive examination,' he said. 'There was no stone unturned. If these men were not baseball players, it would have been over with in two or three days instead of four weeks. There were more than 50 people interviewed. This was not a whitewash.
'The charges were unfounded. There is a certain sadness to all of this. The guys' names and pictures were put in the papers. They went through the fire. They are celebrities. There was not enough evidence to support the charges. These men were never charged. In our country, you are innocent until proven guilty.
The Mets placed a temporary media blackout on their spring-training clubhouse in response to the rape invesitgation and the press coverage. Gooden is scheduled to pitch Friday in the Mets' home opener at Shea Stadium.
'It was never a burden to me or the club,' Manager Jeff Torborg. 'We were focused. I was concerned about them as individuals. I'm glad it's all over and done with.'
