Prosecutor Willie Meggs announced on Thursday that he will not be charging Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with rape, CNN reported. A key factor "was the accuser's recollection of the events during the December 2012 incident, in which she alleged Winston raped her after she had been drinking with friends at a Tallahassee bar," news reports said.
"We have a duty as prosecutors to only file... charges if we have a reasonable likelihood of a conviction. We did not feel we could meet that burden," said Meggs.
The alleged victim originally made the allegation on December 7, 2012, and the university police turned it over to Tallahassee police because "it was determined the incident occurred off campus," according to a Florida State University Police report.
Last month, Winston's attorney announced his client and the woman had consensual sex, according to CNN. "To be clear, the victim did not consent. This was rape," the woman's family had said in a statement.
The police said that the investigation into the incident became "inactive" in February 2013 because the alleged victim stopped cooperating and declined to pursue charges.
"Obviously it would have been better if it had been handled a little earlier," said Meggs at a Thursday press conference. He said "he couldn't think of a reason why police would not have taken Winston's DNA for so many months," CBS News reported.
"It's been difficult to stay silent through this process, but I never lost faith in the truth and in who I am," Winston's statement said.
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