Ray Lewis's Son Arrested, Charged With Criminal Sexual Conduct [Updated]

Ray Lewis III, the son of former Baltimore Raven turned ESPN personality Ray Lewis, has been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to Conway, S.C., police. A warrant for his arrest was obtained Monday, and Lewis turned himself in today. Jail records show that Lewis was booked into jail this morning at 6:56 a.m. and released less than two hours later on $10,000 bond.

Here is how the investigation unfolded, according to police reports, which you can read below. On Jan. 23, at 4:18 a.m., police went to a local hospital in response to a report of sexual assault. That’s where two women asked for rape kits to be performed on them. The kits were completed and placed into evidence. The narrative picks up again on April 25, when the investigation was completed.

After compiling medical reports from the hospital, victim statements, and lab results, the case was presented to the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office for review. After they did a thorough examination of all items listed, we were directed to move forward and seek an arrest warrant on one case at this time.

The arrest warrant alleges that Lewis “engage[d] in sexual battery with an 18-year-old female...with the knowledge that the victim was mentally incapacitated, and/or physically helpless from the use of drugs and/or alcohol.”

As for the second case, the police reports say that case is “still active, and investigators are seeking additional witnesses and leads.” It will be presented to prosecutors again at a later time.

Lewis got a fair bit of attention back in 2013 when he committed to his dad’s college team, the Miami Hurricanes. The cornerback transferred after two years and never playing a down for the Hurricanes. At Coastal Carolina, he played in 12 games with 14 solo tackles and five assists.

Update (7:20 p.m.): Lewis’s lawyers have released the following statement:

In response to the charge of criminal sexual conduct, Ray Lewis III states that he is not guilty of any criminal conduct. He is not guilty because no crime was committed. The sex with the accuser was entirely consensual. At the time of the sexual encounter, the two girls involved were fully conscious of what they were doing and knowingly consented. We are confident that a thorough evaluation of the facts will show that there was no crime committed. Ray Lewis III will be represented by Tommy Brittain of the Brittain Law Firm in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and by Ed Garland of the law firm of Garland, Samuel and Loeb in Atlanta, Georgia.

If that last name sounds familiar, it’s because Garland has become a popular attorney among athletes subject to criminal investigations. His past clients have included Ben Roethlisberger, Mookie Blaylock, and Lewis’s father, Ray.