Former NBA first-round choose Ben McLemore has been sentenced to greater than eight years in an Oregon state jail after being discovered responsible of rape and sexual assault.
McLemore has been ordered to serve 100 months on a first-degree rape cost, a first-degree illegal sexual penetration cost, and a rely of second-degree sexual abuse.
A jury discovered him not responsible on one other rely of second-degree sexual abuse.
McLemore, aged 32, has not performed within the NBA since 2022, having final performed for the Portland Path Blazers.
Moreover, he suited up for the Sacramento Kings (who drafted him seventh-overall out of the College of Kansas in 2013), the Memphis Grizzlies, the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers all through his profession.
McLemore pled not responsible to all 4 counts he confronted and didn’t deal with the court docket as he was sentenced.
Former Portland Path Blazer Ben McLemore has been sentenced to 100 months in jail after being discovered responsible of three counts, together with one rely of first-degree rape in Oregon
Ben McLemore final appeared within the NBA in 2022, for the Portland Path Blazers
‘Many individuals are sometimes afraid to report this sort of conduct for quite a lot of causes,’ Clackamas County First Assistant District Legal professional Scott Healy mentioned in a press release.
‘Hopefully the sufferer’s power and braveness on this case will give others the fortitude to come back ahead in circumstances the place sexual assault has occurred.
‘The sentence the defendant acquired right now ought to function a reminder that this sort of conduct is not going to be tolerated in our group, and that the Clackamas County DA’s Workplace will at all times work laborious to carry offenders accountable and supply justice to victims.’
McLemore’s fees stem from a reported sexual assault in Lake Oswego, Oregon on October 3, 2021 – with the incident going down on the residence of Robert Covington, considered one of McLemore’s Path Blazers teammates on the time.
Police investigated the incident and ultimately recognized McLemore as a suspect.
A grand jury in Clackamas County heard proof on this case again in February of 2024. This included testimony from the lady who claimed McLemore assaulted her.
The court docket issued an indictment towards McLemore and an arrest warrant. McLemore was ultimately arrested by federal Marshals two months later.
Prosecutors advised jurors that the sufferer had been consuming closely and handed out on a lounge sofa round 2:00 within the morning. She partially regained consciousness the next morning when McLemore sexually penetrated her together with his fingers, then had intercourse together with her.
Ben McLemore exhibits off his swimsuit after being picked by the Kings within the NBA Draft
‘This has been the longest virtually 4 years of my life. I by no means imagined that reporting this again in 2021 would result in such an extremely tough and lengthy journey,’ the sufferer advised jurors on Wednesday in a video assertion.
‘These previous couple of years have usually felt like a weight that I’ve needed to drag behind me, a continuing reminder of the trauma that I have not been in a position to totally work by as a result of there was no ending in sight.
‘I now perceive, on a deep stage, why so many victims hesitate or by no means report what occurred to them.’
McLemore’s attorneys disputed her account whereas claiming that she was the one to provoke sexual contact – and that she consented to it. In addition they argued that she was sober sufficient to consent, regardless of each her and McLemore being intoxicated.
‘We hope the Oregon Legislature will undertake a ‘re-evaluation’ course of that may consider whether or not he ought to serve your complete 100 month sentence or whether or not, past the quick alcohol-influenced encounter that led to this conviction, he’s a thoughtful and humble one that has lived an honorable, community-focused life,’ McLemore’s lawyer Kristen Winemiller advised ESPN on Wednesday.
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