Cubs' Starlin Castro Questioned By Police
UPDATED 01/13/12 2:39 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police brought Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro in for questioning shortly before midnight last night to address allegations of sexual assault.
WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports Castro was questioned at the Belmont Area Headquarters, 2452 W. Belmont Ave., Friday morning after arriving the night before. Later Friday, he attended the Cubs Convention, which starts at 3 p.m. at the Chicago Hilton and Towers downtown.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports
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The Cubs say Castro will not speak to the media Friday at the convention on the advice of his attorney, but he did release the follow statement Friday:
"I personally, and through my attorneys, have fully cooperated with the police in this matter. Unfortunately I cannot address the matter further at this time while the investigation is taking place. I understand that being a member of the Cubs means being a hard worker on the field and a good citizen off the field, and I always want to carry myself in a way that exceeds high expectations."
Castro flew in from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
The woman, who is in her 20s, has claimed that she was drinking with friends at the River North nightclub Crescendo on the night of Sept. 29 when she met Castro.
Sources say she and a friend left the bar at 3 a.m. the following morning and went to the 21-year-old Castro's apartment on State Street nearby. The woman claimed she passed out at Castro's apartment and woke up screaming, finding him on top of her.
The woman says she was escorted from Castro's high-rise apartment with a friend. She went to a hospital, and police were called.
But by then, Castro was already on a plane headed home to the Dominican Republic for the offseason.
For nearly 3 1/2 months, the case has been idle as detectives waited for Castro to return to Chicago.
His lawyers have insisted he did nothing wrong.
Castro's attorneys, Jay K. Reisinger and Michael P. Gillespie, issued the following statement on behalf of their client:
"We are aware of certain allegations that have been made against our client, Starlin Castro. We have thoroughly investigated this matter, and we are confident that these allegations are baseless. Given the sensitive nature of this matter, we cannot comment any further."
Last week, when the allegations became public, the Cubs released the following statement:
"We are aware that a police report was filed regarding an incident involving Starlin, but we have received limited information. While this is something we take very seriously, there is not enough information to make any further comment or take action at this time. We are hopeful when the facts are brought to light, Starlin will be cleared of any wrongdoing."
