FLINT, Mich. — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves Tuesday on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.

The verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves‘ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.

Evidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.

Cleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves‘ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.

The 41-year-old Cleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.

Cleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”

The trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.

But in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.

Cleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.

And on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.” </s> FILE – In this Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, Mateen Cleaves walks out of the district court at Genesee District Court in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan State University basketball star Cleaves is standing trial on sexual assault charges in his Michigan hometown. Opening statements began Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Genesee County Circuit Court in Flint, where Cleaves is charged with criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment. He’s accused of assaulting a 24-year-old woman after a charity golf event and a visit to a Flint-area bar in 2015. A district judge dismissed the charges in 2016, but a circuit court reinstated them on appeal. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP, File)

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves Tuesday on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.

The verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.

Evidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.

Cleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves’ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.

The 41-year-old Cleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.

Cleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”

The trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.

But in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.

Cleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.

And on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.” </s> FLINT — Mateen Cleaves became a star on a basketball court, but on Tuesday a jury acquitted him on all charges in his rape case in Genesee County Circuit Court.

Cleaves is the Flint native who led Michigan State to the 2000 NCAA championship. He faced up to 15 years in prison if he’s convicted of unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, and criminal sexual conduct.

A jury began deliberating his case at 1:45 p.m. and reached a verdict in about two and a half hours.

The case is one that has been marked by controversy from the start almost four years ago.

It’s a case that could forever rewrite the life story of Cleaves, an overachiever who used toughness and grit to survive the violence of Flint, return glory to MSU basketball and become the first-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons. Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo held Cleaves in such high regard that he used Mateen as a middle name for his own son.

Izzo attended closing arguments in Flint this morning, but declined to comment other than to say that Cleaves "is part of the family."

Prosecutors say none of that matters. In September 2015, Cleaves forced himself on a drunken woman who ran from a motel room wearing only a bra in an attempt to flee him, they say. Drunk and naked himself, they say, Cleaves pulled her back inside, twice, and raped her.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor David Champine told jurors that Cleaves' lawyer would try to argue the sex was consensual but the evidence shows otherwise. He urged them to "look at the surveillance video of the woman running away, screaming 'help me, help me, help me' and then being forced back into the room."

Those are not the actions of a woman engaged in a consensual sex act, Champine said.

Another prosecutor, Lisa Lindsey, told jurors that the woman was the "perfect victim" and that Cleaves targeted her specifically because she was drunk and therefore, less likely to resist, flee or to be believed.

"No woman is obligated to have sex with anyone," Lindsey said.

One of Cleaves' four attorneys, Mike Manley, said in his closing argument that the sex was consensual, noting that the woman posed for pictures with Cleaves, put his phone number into her phone, went to motel room with him, where she acknowledged kissing him.

When the woman left the room wearing only her bra, Cleaves was doing the right thing by bringing her back so she could get dressed, Manley said.

"All you saw there was a gentleman going out to make sure that a lady wasn't walking around a motel naked," he said.

Manley also offered blistering critique of Cleaves' accuser, saying that when she spoke with police who were called to the motel, "you had an obnoxious, belligerent, remorseful drunk at that point."

Cleaves wore a gray pinstripe suit to court, hugging several supporters on the courthouse steps as he entered, but ignoring reporter questions about his case.

Cleaves sat silently through the arguments. Izzo sat in the front row about 10 feet from Cleaves. The courtroom was full and court officers set up an overflow room where others could watch the proceedings on closed circuit television.

Among those in the gallery was Robert Carmack, the Detroit businessman who's been embroiled in a dispute with Mayor Mike Duggan.

Closing arguments concluded around noon and Judge Celeste Bell told jurors she would being jury instructions when they return from lunch. Fourteen jurors heard the testimony. One man and one woman were dismissed as alternates, leaving nine women and three men to decide the case. </s> FILE – In this Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, Mateen Cleaves walks out of the district court at Genesee District Court in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan State University basketball star Cleaves is standing trial on sexual assault charges in his Michigan hometown. Opening statements began Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Genesee County Circuit Court in Flint, where Cleaves is charged with criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment. He’s accused of assaulting a 24-year-old woman after a charity golf event and a visit to a Flint-area bar in 2015. A district judge dismissed the charges in 2016, but a circuit court reinstated them on appeal. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP, File)

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves on Tuesday of allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.

The verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.

The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for a little more than two hours before delivering its verdict. Cleaves sobbed after the last of four not-guilty verdicts was read.

“Thank you for giving me my life back,” Cleaves said.

Juror Michael Lambert said the verdict came quickly after he and other jurors concluded Cleaves’ accuser wasn’t believable.

“Her testimony was consistent lies,” Lambert said, adding jurors noted the frequency he woman forgot key parts of her story.

Outside the court following the verdict, Cleaves continued to proclaim his innocence.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for four years,” he told reporters outside the court. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Evidence against Cleaves, 41, included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.

The woman testified during the trial last week that she had gone to a gathering at a bar with Cleaves at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

The woman said she and Cleaves stopped at a gas station and that she fell asleep before waking up in a room at the motel with him. The woman said she told Cleaves she “wanted to go home” but admitted she kissed him even after saying that.

“He started kissing me. I kissed him back, and I remember being on the bed,” the woman said. She said she didn’t want to be “rude” to Cleaves, a celebrity donor to her employer, because she didn’t want her rejection of his advances to affect her job.

Cleaves did not testify. His attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.

During closing arguments Tuesday, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor David Champine said the woman, of Mount Morris, did not want to have sex with Cleaves and told him so.

“You can see her in the video pulling away,” Champine told jurors, adding she was able to push him off in some way and get out of Knights Inn in Mundy Township on Sept. 15, 2015. “He grabs her and starts pulling her. You can see her in the video pulling away … she doesn’t want to go back but his decision is he’s going to take her back.”

Cleaves’ defense team told jurors it was a clear case of consensual sex and that the woman is lying because she felt bad because she had cheated on her boyfriend with him.

“Regret is not rape,” argued defense attorney Michael Manley, contending there wasn’t a “sliver of DNA” evidence that backs up her claims.

Cleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.

The trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.

But in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.

Cleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.

And on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.” </s> A jury in Flint, Mich., acquitted former Michigan State and NBA player Mateen Cleaves on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.

The verdict announced Tuesday in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room, but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.

Evidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.

Cleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves’ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.

Cleaves, 41, was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Cleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested former A’s pitcher Octavio Dotel and cited ex-infielder Luis Castillo for their alleged links to a drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring, officials said.

Dominican Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez said police are also actively pursuing the alleged leader of the ring, Cesar Emilio Peralta, also known as “Cesar the Abuser.” Castillo — not the current Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher — has not been arrested.

He said Peralta created a complicated system of companies to hide the origins of his assets, using members of his family and social circles, “including two sports figures in the Dominican Republic.”

Rodriguez said the U.S. government and police agencies participated in the investigation.

Castillo was a three-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and was a member of the 2003 Florida Marlins team that won the World Series.

There was no immediate comment from Dotel, who set a record for playing on more MLB teams than any other player.

WNBA: Tina Charles had 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks to help the visiting New York Liberty beat the Indiana Fever 82-76. ... Diamond DeShields led five Chicago starters in double figures with 17 points, helping the visiting Sky beat the Atlanta Dream 87-83. ... A’ja Wilson scored host Las Vegas’ first nine points of overtime as the Aces defeated Phoenix 84-79. The Mercury got 24 points apiece from Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner. ... Candace Parker scored 20 points as the host Los Angeles Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx 81-71. Lexie Brown scored 20 points for the Lynx. </s> (8/20/2019) – Former Michigan State University basketball star Mateen Cleaves was acquitted of all charges in a 2015 sexual assault case.

Former Michigan State University basketball star Mateen Cleaves celebrates the not guilty verdict in his sexual assault case.

A Genesee County jury of nine women and three men reached the not guilty verdict on Tuesday after a two-week trial. They deliberated for about four hours.

RELATED: Tom Izzo in courthouse as Mateen Cleaves sexual assault trial reaches end

Cleaves smiled as he emerged from the courthouse with his attorneys.

"I've been waiting for this day for four years," he said.

Cleaves thanked the many people who have supported him during the entire four-year legal process that culminated with Tuesday's verdict.

"My wife has been by my side from Day 1 and I want to publicly ... apologize to her because I shouldn't have put her in this situation," he said. "As strong as she is to stand by my side, I appreciate it so much."

Cleaves also apologized to his children and thanked Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo and his former teammates for their unwavering support.

Defense attorney Frank Manley said the jury saw the truth through the woman's allegations.

"At some point in time you had 12 people look at all the evidence and you can't hide the truth," he said.

Wayne County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Maria Miller said the prosecutors who tried the case obviously were disappointed with the verdict and still believe the case against Cleaves is strong.

"We are disappointed in the jury's verdict but we respect their decision," she said in a statement. "We are proud of the work of our prosecution team that worked tirelessly for justice on behalf of the victim in this case."

Cleaves said the past four years have been tough on him and his family as the allegations swirled around him. He believes the woman's claims portrayed him as an animal.

"That's the worst person you can be is a rapist," Cleaves said. "To be portrayed as a rapist, it broke my heart every day. Rape is a bad thing and it hit me home because I have people close to me that were raped."

Now that the trial is over and he was vindicated, Cleaves is looking forward to resuming his normal life.

"I don't have to go to work with this burden on my back. I don't have to go to work and wonder if people are cutting me the eye and looking at me as a rapist," he said. "I'm going to get back to doing the same thing I've always done."

Cleaves was charged in 2016 with four felony counts, including three counts of criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment.

The charges are connected to an incident in September 2015, when a woman claimed Cleaves sexually assaulted her at the Knights Inn in Mundy Township.

The two had met earlier that day at a charity golf tournament before drinking together at a bar. The woman, who is now 27 years old, testified during the trial, along with friends who were at the bar, police officers and her now ex-boyfriend.

The woman and Cleaves ended their night at the Knights Inn, where the woman claimed Cleaves sexually assaulted her. Video surveillance shows her leaving the room twice and Cleaves bringing her back in.

The woman testified that she was trying to escape, but admitted kissing him back at first because she was scared of how their interaction would affect her job.

Cleaves' defense team has long said the two had consensual sex. </s> Former Michigan State star and NBA player Mateen Cleaves was acquitted on sexual assault charges on Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, stemming from a 2015 incident in a motel room, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Cleaves was accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman in a motel after a day of partying at a charity golf outing. The woman alleged she was held against her will in the motel room and sexually assaulted, and that Cleaves continued to force himself on her repeatedly when she said she wanted to leave.

Cleaves’ attorneys said that he had consensual sex with the woman, who returned to the motel room “of her own free will” after the golf outing and a trip to a bar, according to the Associated Press. They said she lied about the incident because “she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.”

Cleaves was acquitted of all charges Tuesday after a nearly two-week trial, which included unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration, per the report. The 41-year-old faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.

"I just thank God,” Cleaves said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I've been waiting for this day for four years. (My attorneys) are lifesavers, to save my life, the way they did.”

His initial case was dismissed in 2016, however the charges were reinstated after prosecutors filed an appeal arguing that the judge had abused her “discretion of power,” according to the Associated Press. The initial ruling was overturned last year, which prompted the trial this month.

Cleaves played at Michigan State from 1996-2000, and was a member of its national championship team in 2000. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game throughout his career. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft and spent six seasons bouncing around the league, most notably spending time with the Sacramento Kings and the Seattle SuperSonics.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo attended the closing arguments on Tuesday, too, according to the Detroit Free Press. He declined to comment about the trial, other than saying that Cleaves “is part of the family.”
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Mateen Cleaves speaks out after not guilty verdict “I’m truly grateful that I had a great team fighting for my life and the truth finally came out," he said.

FLINT, MI – Mateen Cleaves was found not guilty on all counts Tuesday, Aug. 20 after he was first charged with sexually assaulting a woman nearly four years ago.

Cleaves, 41, faced single counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, third-degree criminal sexual conduct, unlawful imprisonment, and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on Sept. 15, 2015 at the Knights Inn in Mundy Township.

The verdict comes after six days of testimony from the alleged victim, her former boyfriend and police officers who responded to the scene.

Closing arguments took place for several hours Tuesday, Aug. 20 before Genesee Circuit Judge Celeste D. Bell’s packed courtroom.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning their verdict around 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug, 20. The jury was comprised of 10 woman, four men. Two jurors were randomly dismissed. They were first sent out to deliberate at 1:44 p.m.

Cleaves was arraigned in March 2016 on multiple felony charges, including counts of unlawful imprisonment and criminal sexual conduct.

Now-retired Genesee District Judge M. Cathy Dowd dismissed all charges in December 2016 saying that although security camera footage shows Cleaves pulling the woman back into the hotel room, “there are a number of factors that led (her) to believe something else was going on.”

Charges were later reinstated by now-retired Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman on appeal from prosecutors. He ruled in April 2017 that Dowd “did abuse her discretion of power” in dismissing the case.

This is a developing story. Check back to MLive.com later for reaction from the courthouse. </s> FORMER Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans has been cleared of raping a teenager in a hotel in north Wales following a two week retrial at Cardiff Crown Court.

The Wales international and Chesterfield striker, who fought a five year battle to clear his name, wept and hugged his partner Natasha Massey following the verdict at Cardiff Crown Court.

Evans, 27, had admitted to having sex with the teenager in a hotel in Rhyl, north Wales, and cheating on his girlfriend in the process, but always insisted it had been consensual.

He had maintained his innocence from the very outset - saying the woman had invited him to “join in” a 4am romp with a fellow footballer.

Defence counsel Judy Khan QC said Evans answered every single question during his police interviews and detectives would never have known about the sex session had it not been for the soccer star’s honesty.

Mr Evans bowed his head as the jury foreman returned the verdict of not guilty.

Claps could be heard from the public gallery following the acquittal.

Mrs Justice Nicola Davies told Mr Evans: “Mr Evans you are discharged and you can leave the dock.”

It took the jury three hours to reach their not guilty verdict.

Today’s dramatic conclusion comes at the end of a five-year fight by Evans to clear his name. This is how events in the case unfolded:
• May 30 2011 - Evans and his friend, footballer Clayton McDonald, have sex with a woman at a Premier Inn, near Rhyl, North Wales.
• May 31 - Evans, then a Sheffield United striker, and McDonald, who was playing for Port Vale, are both arrested. They are later charged.
• April 20 2012 - Evans is convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman and sentenced to five years in prison following a trial at Caernarfon Crown Court. Co-accused McDonald is found not guilty.
• May 30 - Evans, who has been capped 13 times by Wales, is released by Sheffield United at the end of the football season.
• November 6 - The Court of Appeal refuses him leave to appeal his conviction or reduce the length of his sentence.
• October 17 2014 - Evans is released from prison after serving half of his sentence.
• November 11 - Sheffield United faces a public backlash after saying it would let him train with them, an offer it later withdrew. TV presenter and club patron Charlie Webster quits and Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill demands her name be taken off the Bramall Lane stand in protest.
• January 8 2015 - Oldham Athletic pulls out of a deal to sign Evans following another public backlash.
• October 5 - Evans’s case is referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Case Review Commission on the basis of new information after a 10-month investigation.
• March 22 2016 - The appeal hearing is held at the High Court in London.
• April 21 - Evans wins appeal against conviction and is granted unconditional bail. The footballer faces a re-trial at Cardiff Crown Court before Mrs Justice Nicola Davies.
• May 27 - Evans pleads not guilty to a single charge of rape.
• June 20 - The footballer signs a one year contract with League One side Chesterfield FC.
• July 23 - He scores in his first game in four years during a 3-0 pre-season friendly win for his new club against Ilkeston.
• October 14 - The footballer is cleared after a two-week retrial. The jury deliberated for three hours.
Former professional basketball player Mateen Cleaves is acquitted of several sex crimes in a court in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.