Report: Patrick Kane Grand Jury Investigation Postponed
(CBS) A grand jury investigation into rape allegations against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane that was set to begin Tuesday has been postponed, the Buffalo News reported.
Last week, news broke that everyone who was present at Kane's home in Hamburg, N.Y., on the night he's accused of raping a woman had been subpoenaed. Kane hasn't been charged in the case as officials with the Hamburg police and the Erie County District Attorney's Office continue to investigate.
The accuser went to the hospital on Aug. 2 and had a rape kit administered after the alleged sexual assault. Kane had returned to his house in the early morning hours that day with a friend, the alleged victim and a female friend of hers, according to reports. They were driven there from SkyBar by Buffalo Police Lt. Thomas English, a longtime driver for Kane who was off-duty at the time, per reports.
CBS 2 Legal Expert Irv Miller said it's not unusual for grand jury hearings to be postponed, but if a settlement is reached details will be sketchy.
"Typically these come under a confidentiality agreement: I'll give you x amount of money...I won't make an admission, but nobody will know, we will keep this private it will not go into a court file," Miller said. "The judge will know, the parties will know and that's it."
Chicago rape victim advocate Sharmili Majmudar is not surprised by the postponement.
"The victim in the case, particularly again, with a high profile situation is placed under a great deal of scrutiny and can also be targeted for harassment, threats and violence," said Majmudar.
The Blackhawks open training camp Sept. 18 and will be faced with a big decision of what to do with Kane on that date if the investigation is still ongoing.
"This is probably been playing out in board rooms or on conference calls over the last few weeks behind closed doors so they're going to have a pretty good idea of what they're going to do," said CBSSports.com Hockey Writer Chris Peters. "This is still an open investigation, so the league would have that power to potentially suspend Kane that would bar him from all team activities."
Peters says the next few days will be pivotal for Patrick Kane's future as a Chicago Blackhawk, his reputation in the court of public opinion.
"It's going to be very difficult for the Blackhawks to be associated with Patrick Kane," Peters said. "He does have a history of other incidents and that comes into play."
