| Advertisement |
Former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II had another rape charge filed against him by prosecutors in Vista, Calif. Already facing a number of felony charges, including rape and kidnapping, Winslow was arraigned late Thursday afternoon for raping an unconscious 17-year-old girl.
Advertisement
The new charge, which followed a hearing earlier in the day in which a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to move forward with a trial against Winslow, allegedly occurred in 2003 in San Diego County.
"California law allows for certain specified sexual offenses to be charged regardless of the time of their commission under certain circumstances," said San Diego County deputy district attorney Dan Owens, per USA Today. "Those circumstances are met in this case. ...
"When there is a rape that occurs and the victim is under the age of 18 years old, there is no statutory time (limit) to when that can be charged. That's exactly what we have here."
Winslow was 19 at the time of the 2003 rape allegation. Owens declined to say whether the victim came forward as a result of the latest barrage of charges faced by Winslow.
Superior Court Judge Harry Elias set bail at $2 million for Winslow, who also is facing misdemeanor charges that indecent exposure and trespassing.
The 34-year-old Winslow was arrested in June on suspicion of kidnapping and raping several women, including a hitchhiker. He stands accused of raping two women -- not including the 17-year-old -- and exposing himself to a third. He also was accused of entering the homes of two other women with the intent to rape, prosecutors alleged.
According to the initial complaint, two of the victims said they were raped in a vehicle and a third reported that she was gardening when Winslow approached and exposed himself. In two other instances, he allegedly entered mobile homes in Encinitas, where he lives.
On Wednesday, a 54-year-old woman who claimed that she was raped after she was picked up for a ride while hitchhiking was unable to identify Winslow as her attacker.
At Thursday's hearing, a 58-year-old homeless woman testified that she knew Winslow, who she said gave her a ride months earlier. She testified that Winslow offered to buy her coffee in May but took her to a secluded area and raped her. She added that he threatened to kill her if she said anything.
The last incident before Winslow's arrest occurred on June 7 and involved an 86-year-old woman who lives at a mobile home park.
The son of former San Diego Chargers standout Kellen Winslow, he played in the NFL for 10 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He finished his career with 469 receptions for 5,236 yards and 25 touchdowns in 105 games.
The former No. 6 overall draft pick by the Browns out of the University of Miami was suspended in 2013 while with the Jets for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. He also was arrested several times during his playing career, with one of those for possession of synthetic marijuana.
