Salt Lake police said Tuesday they are continuing to conduct interviews and gather information about allegations of sexual misconduct involving Portland Trail Blazers who were in town over the weekend for a National Basketball Association game.
The parents of three underage Murray girls reported Sunday that at least two members of the basketball team engaged in sexual activities with their daughters Saturday night and Sunday morning at a downtown hotel, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Marty Vuyk.The department, however, is very tight-lipped about details surrounding the investigation.
The girls, reportedly 15 and 16 years old, apparently met the NBA players at the Crossroads Plaza Saturday and were invited to a player's hotel room for a party that night. Vuyk would not specify the hotel, but the Trail Blazers stay at the Marriott Hotel when they come to Salt Lake City.
The girls were listed as runaways prior to Saturday, but Vuyk did not know how long ago they had run away from home.
"The allegations are that sexual activity occurred" that evening, the lieutenant said. Vuyk would say only that "more than one" player was under investigation.
Police refuse to release the names of the suspects and have restricted police reports concerning the incident. Vuyk said the department believes they know who the players involved are but are still making efforts to confirm the identities. `We want to be positive," he said.
Police did not contact the players before they left Salt Lake City after defeating the Utah Jazz, 124-113.
Geoff Petrie, the Trail Blazers' senior vice president for operations, said NBA security director Horace Balmer called him Sunday night. Petrie said Balmer said he needed to interview two players but wouldn't disclose the nature of his investigation. Balmer did not return calls from the Deseret News by press time.
"We are aware of the allegations and are looking into it," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said from New York.
Portland team spokesman John Lashway said, "We're still awaiting further information from the league office."
Vuyk confirmed that Salt Lake police have contacted NBA Security about the incident. "They do not become involved in the investigation but are simply a source that can assist us if necessary," he said.
Meanwhile, sex crimes detectives are busily looking into the incident but have given no indication how long the investigation may take. "The allegations involve sexual misconduct and we will make a determination whether or not they are justified or include any criminal misconduct whatsoever," Vuyk said.
Utah law states that a person who has sexual intercourse with a minor between 14 and 18 years old can be charged with a class B misdemeanor. But if the offender is more than 3 years older than the minor, that person can be charged with a third-degree felony.
In 1989, a New York Yankees professional baseball player was convicted of having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in Milwaukee.