DENVER – Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders won’t face prosecution for sexual assault charges in Texas after a grand jury last week decided not to indict him on felony charges.
Court records show the Harris County, Texas grand jury returned a “no bill” in the case on Jan. 9, meaning they couldn’t return a “true bill” indictment on the felony 2 sexual assault charge.
The alleged incident that brought the case to police attention occurred sometime before June 15, according to police. Court records show that a law enforcement officer was subpoenaed regarding the case at the end of August, and was served with the subpoena in early September.
Sanders’ address was listed as being in Humble, Texas – a suburb of Houston. Sanders grew up outside of Austin and attended SMU in Dallas for college.
The court records show the case was closed on Jan. 9. TMZ first reported the case had been closed.
“We are aware of the media report involving Emmanuel Sanders and are looking into it,” the Broncos said in a statement.
Sanders is in the United Kingdom promoting an NFL UK event and could not immediately be reached for comment by Denver7.
“Ready to put on a show for the fans of Cardiff, Wales,” he tweeted shortly after the news broke. “If you’re going to the @NFLUK event tonight & take pictures you want me to sign….watch this video.”
Sources told Denver7 Thursday that Sanders talked with Broncos officials Thursday regarding the grand jury decision. Sanders indicated he worked with authorities and maintained his innocence in the case throughout.
The NFL will review the case and it's still possible that league officials will talk with Sanders.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released a statement about the incident Thursday to The Denver Post:
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint regarding Emmanuel Sanders on June 15, 2017. The complaint was thoroughly investigated and all involved parties, including Mr. Sanders, were interviewed by investigators. Upon completion of the investigation, evidence and witness statements were presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether a criminal charge should be filed. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which determined on January 9, 2018 that there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal charge.”
