Caleb Brantley’s attorney maintains client is ‘victim’; attorney for accuser angers Gainesville Police
RYAN YOUNG
SEC Country Staff
More stories by Ryan Young
Updated at 5 p.m. with response from Caleb Brantley’s lawyers, Johnson and Osteryoung, P.A., Attorneys at Law
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A response from the Gainesville Police Department on Monday addresses how new information led to the recommendation for a charge of misdemeanor battery against former Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley stemming from an April 13 incident with a woman outside of Fat Daddy’s bar.
Meanwhile, Brantley’s lawyers maintain he is in fact “the victim” in the matter.
On
the initial police report filed after the incident, Brantley was portrayed as the one struck in the face and acting only in self-defense to push the woman away. No charges were filed.
That matter took a turn on Friday with the Gainesville Police Department recommending a misdemeanor battery charge for Brantley for allegedly knocking the woman unconscious and displacing a tooth.
North Florida Lawyers, the attorneys for the complainant Chelsea Austin,
issued a statement Sunday night, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, claiming that initial police report was “falsified.”
An email from Gainesville Police Department Public Information Officer Ben Tobias sent Monday to reporters disputes that claim.
“GPD is also aware of a statement from North Florida Lawyers, who represents the female in the case, that alleges that the original report was false and that the officers listed in the report were not involved. This is quite a bold allegation and is simply absurd,” Tobias’ email said.
“Many times in the course of investigations, additional information is discovered that is not apparent to the responding officers on scene. This case is no different. Once the new information was discovered in the follow-up investigation — the appropriate charges were recommended.”
Tobias’ email states that different witnesses “confirmed to detectives that the female was in fact knocked unconscious by Mr. Brantley,” which led the Gainesville Police Department to recommend the charges of misdemeanor battery to the State Attorney.
Tobias said the Gainesville Police Department will have no additional comments on the incident.
According to WGFL Channel 4, Darry Lloyd, the deputy chief investigator for the State Attorney’s Office, said Monday that Brantley had not yet been charged and the sworn complaint was being reviewed.
Later Monday, 1 of Brantley’s attorneys, Amy Osteryoung, released a lengthy response stating, “Mr. Brantley was not the aggressor. Mr. Brantley is the victim.”
According to Brantley’s representation, he had been home on the evening in question until 1:30 a.m. when he drove to the bar to give a ride to a friend. When informed the friend would not be ready to leave for another 15-20 minutes, he got out of his car, entered the bar and sat on the stairs to wait for a female friend to finish her conversation.
The release asserts that while waiting, another woman with whom Brantley had a prior relationship approached him, and he declined her invitation to join her. His lawyer says that the woman and her friends began taunting Brantley and he decided to exit the building, when “one of them stepped forward and punched him in the mouth with no warning.”
“Mr Brantley, in reaction to that sudden occurrence, put out his right arm in an attempt to push away his attacker. His hand made contact with her face due to his reflex reaction,” the statement claims.
The statement refers back to the initial police report, which states the woman admitted to hitting Brantley because she felt disrespected. Brantley’s lawyer says he did not know the woman who hit him in the face before the night of the incident.
Here is the full statement from Osteryoung:
Brantley was expected to be selected in the first few rounds of the NFL draft later this week. It is unknown how this matter will affect his draft stock.