Defense: no kidnappings

HILLSBOROUGH —Michael Troy Lewis admitted to investigators that he stole from the two UNC football players he is charged with kidnapping.

But he emphatically denied charges that he also tied them up and assaulted them with a knife.

Officers involved in the case testified Thursday and the jury also saw video of Chapel Hill police investigator Lee Sparrow interviewing Lewis three days after he fled the scene of the alleged incident.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Lewis and two women Tnikia Monta Washington and Monique Jenice Taylor met one of the players at a Franklin Street bar on Dec. 15.

Lewis told investigators in the video that the two women were trying to solicit sex. Lewis said he then drove the three back to the player's apartment.

The player wanted to be tied up and asked Lewis to participate in sex with him and the women Lewis said.

Lewis said he told the player no and went into the living room.

He said a second player later arrived at the apartment and joined the first player and the women. The players told investigators that a third player who Lewis didn't mention came into the apartment at the same time and went right to bed.

While the women and two players were in the bedroom Lewis said he put some electronics from the apartment into a bag.

But the prosecution is trying to prove that before robbing the players Lewis kidnapped two of them and held them at knifepoint.

The player who first met Lewis at the bar told police the three suspects asked to wait at his apartment until another friend arrived officers testified Thursday.

The player said one of the females made sexual advances and after moving into his bedroom tied him up and began to fondle his genitalia. When the player became uncomfortable and asked her to stop he said she punched him.

Sometime later two other players arrived. One told police that he helped the other who was extremely intoxicated into a bedroom. He said he then saw a naked man — Lewis prosecutors say — in the hallway carrying a knife.

The player told officers the man invited him into the other bedroom where one of the women pulled his pants down and pushed him onto the bed with the first player. The woman then bound the second player's hands and covered his eyes with a necktie.

When the player resisted the man put a sharp object to his throat. Investigators later found a knife in the apartment.

Investigators said the third player woke up to an unusual noise and saw a man clad only in socks walk in and out of his room. He pretended to be asleep and when the man entered and exited again called police at 3:25 a.m.

The third player said the man then noticed the player was awake and put a sharp object to his throat tied his feet and hands and took his wallet.

Police said they arrived on the scene about five minutes after receiving the call.

Lewis told investigators that when police arrived he panicked bit the officer who attempted to arrest him and fled the scene.

Lewis came to the police voluntarily Dec. 19 and was arrested although officers had told him there were no warrants for his arrest.

Police lied to Lewis about the warrants in order to get him to come to the station which Sparrow said is not against written protocol and is a normal tactic.

The defense says Lewis also called the police three times before he came to the station with his mother.

Lewis33 faces at least eight years in prison if convicted.

All charges against Washington were dropped and Taylor will face trial soon.

The defense stressed that the three players were intoxicated during the incident and when interviewed by police hours later.

The Daily Tar Heel is not identifying the football players because of a policy against naming the complainants in cases that involve sexual offenses.

The prosecution is expected to call the players as witnesses when the trial resumes Monday.



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.