Gophers player charged in rape case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota cornerback Dominic Jones, who played at Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio, was charged Monday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after investigators said they found cell phone video that showed him in a sex act with a woman who was “physically helpless.”

Three other Gophers remain suspects in the case, which began in April after an 18-year-old woman said she had been raped at an apartment complex near campus.

“The charges represent a significant next step in this case,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. “The charge is a serious one.”

Defensive end Alex Daniels, cornerback Keith Massey and running back E.J. Jones all were arrested and questioned in April. They have not been charged, but have been suspended ever since by coach Tim Brewster. Daniels and Massey also went to Brookhaven, and Massey is Dominic Jones’ half brother.

“No charges will be filed against those individuals today,” Freeman said. “We’re going to take this case one step at a time. Each of them remains suspects and we’re going to continue to review each of the cases.”

At a news conference, Freeman said the woman had come to the apartment complex with a friend and some Gopher players. He said she drank heavily with the players and had sex with E.J. Jones, Massey and Daniels before passing out.

Dominic Jones arrived later and had sex with the woman while Daniels recorded the video on his cell phone, Freeman said. The file had been deleted from the phone, but investigators recovered a part of it, he said.

“It’s amazing what the forensics can do to reconstruct that,” Freeman said. “That cell phone video, a picture is worth 1,000 words, and that video reflects what happened, at least at that point in time.”

The woman went to Regions Hospital for a sexual assault examination, where her blood-alcohol level tested at more than 0.30 percent. It’s a level, Freeman said, “in which motor function, including the ability to stand or walk, is lost.”