Lawrence Taylor arrested in rape of 16-year old girl has 3 comments

May 6th 2010, 21:33 | FFN-Score: 169 points

Montebello, NY --- Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested in a Rockland hotel overnight and is facing a felony rape charge involving an attack on a 16-year-old runaway girl from New York City controlled by a pimp, authorities said this morning.

The 51-year-old former New York Giants linebacker was taken into custody by Ramapo police at the Holiday Inn off Airmont Road, Ramapo Police Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said.

Taylor was being held in the town police lockup pending arraignment in Ramapo Justice Court this afternoon. One of the charges being considered is third-degree rape, a charge that involves having intercourse with a minor. She was 15 when she became a runaway in March.

The victim was reportedly beaten during the attack. She was questioned by the New York Police Department in the Bronx, where a man identified as a pimp drover her and was arrested, authorities said.

Taylor's lawyer, Kenneth Gribetz, said he has not seen the charges or the details of accusations.

Gribetz, a former Rockland district attorney, said he's confident Taylor will be released on bail later this afternoon and eventually exonerated. He said Taylor will plead not guilty at the arraignment.

"We firmly contend he is innocent of the charges and will be fully exonerated," Gribetz said.

Gribetz and his law partner, Deborah Loewenberg, met with Taylor at the Ramapo police lockup.

"He's upset as anyone would in this situation," Gribetz said of Taylor. "He's looking forward to an early arraignment and release."

Taylor, a football icon and one of the NFL's greatest defensive players, has a history of drug abuse and other run-ins with the law. He has tested positive for cocaine several times during his NFL career and has been arrested for buying cocaine from undercover police officers.

Taylor, who has a home in New Jersey and is a resident of Pembroke Pines, Fla., according to police, has played golf for close to 15 years at Ramapo's Spook Rock golf course and has dined at the Airmont Diner, where he became friends with the owner, Dino Kyriacou, a frequent golf partner.

The diner ran a banner supporting Taylor when he was on "Dancing with the Stars." Kyriacou was unavailable for comment at the diner this morning.

Taylor's 2003 autobiography, "L.T.: Over the Edge: Tackling Quarterbacks, Drugs and a World Beyond Football," opens with a description of being robbed of his Rolex while cruising the Hill neighborhood of Spring Valley for cocaine.

"I was cruising through a nasty ... place in Spring Valley, NY, called the The Hill," Taylor writes. "It was late. Real late. But I wanted some cocaine. I needed some cocaine. That night on The Hill was in the mid-90s during a period when the only people in my life were dealers, addicts and hookers."

Spring Valley Police Chief Paul Modica said today that that years ago Taylor was known to frequent the village and it was "no secret" that Taylor was looking to buy crack cocaine.

"We heard rumors that he was in the area but he never had any interaction with the police as far as I know," Modica said.

Modica said he was shocked to hear Taylor faced a rape charge, especially with an underage girl.

"You would think because of who he is he could go to any club or adult social event and not have to worry about things like this," Modica said.

Ramapo police were planning a news conference about 3:30 p.m. today to provide more details in the case.

The victim apparently was a runaway from the Bronx who was brought by a pimp to the Holiday Inn where Taylor was staying, Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence told The Journal News this morning.

The girl got beaten up at the hotel and later needed treatment at a local hospital.

"She was a runaway since March and there was a pimp involved," St. Lawrence said of the now 16-year-old. "She got punched in the face. We're not sure who did it."

The police got involved after the girl texted her uncle as the pimp drove her down to the Bronx, St. Lawrence said. The uncle called the New York City Police Department and officers met the pimp's car in the city, St. Lawrence said.

NYPD officers took statements from the girl, arrested the pimp and called the Ramapo Police Department, who sent officers to the hotel to investigate.

Ramapo police secured the scene in the hotel room, gathered evidence and sent detectives to New York City as part of the investigation.

Outside the police station this afternoon, St. Lawrence fielded questions from the media. When told that Taylor's wife claimed her husband had been set up, St. Lawrence said, "We have a 16-year-old victim."

St. Lawrence, in response to a media question, said police found forensic evidence in the hotel room, including a used condom.

The Bronx District Attorney's Office spokeswoman said this morning that prosecutors were aware of what went on in Ramapo, Taylor's arrest and the arrest in the Bronx. The office declined to discuss details.

"Right now, we are aware of the situation," spokeswoman Jillian Osorio said, "and it's under investigation."

Taylor has been in the limelight as a football player and in retirement.

As an outside linebacker, Taylor revolutionized the position with his strength, speed and ability to rush the quarterback.

Taylor, a 10-time Pro-Bowl player, led New York to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was voted the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.

Taylor was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1999.

Taylor competed in ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" last year.

Taylor has had a highly publicized struggle with drug addiction and has had multiple legal run-ins in retirement.

In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.

In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.

In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion.