Florida International University baseball slugger Garrett Wittels has been arrested in the Bahamas and charged with the rape of two 17-year-old girls, the Miami Herald reported Monday.
Wittels, 20, was arrested along with several of his friends Dec. 20 at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in Nassau where they were vacationing. Wittels was released on a $10,000 bond
Wittels has the second-longest hitting streak in NCAA history at 56 games, behind only Robin Ventura’s record of 58 games.
The junior infielder and his group allegedly met the two girls at the hotel casino, where the girls claimed to be University of Arkansas college students.
Video surveillance showed the two young women following the men to a private party afterward, where the incident allegedly took place.
Wittels and Robert Rothschild, 21, were charged with raping both teenagers while Jonathan Oberti, 21, was charged with raping one of them. Two other men — Steven Tromberg and Jon Shapiro — were also held in connection with the charges.
Wittels’ father, Michael Wittels, confirmed to the Herald Monday that his son had been arrested, but maintained the facts of the case would prove the young man's innocence.
“Anyone can accuse anyone of anything at any time,” Michael Wittels said. “He’s devastated that someone would accuse him of this.”
A publicist for the university told the Herald he did not know of any charges against Wittels. A representative for the team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NewsCore.
Wittels was nominated earlier this year for ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards in the category of “Best College Male Athlete,” losing out to University of Kentucky basketball player John Wall.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|