Investigation Continues After Roethlisberger Accused Of Sex Assault

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga.,None — The investigation continued Monday into allegations made against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. A 20-year-old woman in Milledgeville, Georgia accused Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her at a nightclub.

Channel 11 News reporter Rick Earle is in Milledgeville and learned Monday that Roethlisberger hired a high-powered criminal defense attorney from Atlanta.

The attorney, Ed Garland, represented NFL star Ray Lewis who was under investigation for his alleged involvement in a homicide decades ago.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said they spent the weekend retracing Roethlisberger's steps and interviewing witnesses who may have seen Roethlisberger or the alleged victim.

Evidence was submitted to the state crime lab in Georgia.

A Georgia newspaper reported that police may hold a news conference on the case Monday.

Authorities were informed over the weekend that Roethlisberger is no longer in Georgia.

VIDEO: Police Interview Bar Employees About Roethlisberger VIDEO: Club Worker Says Roethlisberger Kept To Himself VIDEO: News Conference On Alleged Assault

Milledgeville police held a news conference Friday evening after TMZ.com reported that a woman was accusing Roethlisberger of sexual assault.

"He's been identified as being at the scene, and there are allegations naming him as the perpetrator," Deputy Chief Richard Malone said.

The alleged incident happened early Friday morning at a nightclub. TMZ reports it allegedly happened inside Capital City in Milledgeville and that the woman told police it went down in the women's restroom.

Malone said Roethlisberger had been with three other people who were mingling with another group that included the alleged victim.

Malone said the woman, who is a local college student, and her party contacted a nearby police officer following the alleged assault.

Demario Dargan, who works at the Velvet Elvis, where Roethlisberger and teammate Willie Colon were spotted earlier in the night, said Roethlisberger talked to some patrons there but kept to himself mostly before heading to Capital City.

"They sat over there at the bar, had a good time, nothing wild," said Dargan. "People started asking him for pictures and he took pictures with guys and a couple of guys from the junior college football team that came here all the time. It was pretty much not too rowdy, because I was making sure the crowd wasn't coming in to aggravate them."

Dargan said he got off work early and went to Capital City, where Roethlisberger and his posse were in a section that was closed off to others.

"When I got off work at 1 a.m., I went over there," said Dargan. "He was in there, but they were in the back chilling. They had a section. They were in there chilling, like, he wasn't dancing or partying like that. He was conservative about everything he did, from what I saw."

Roethlisberger's agent, Ryan Tollner, issued the following statement:

"Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening. We have spoken to law enforcement. Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night. Obviously, given the prior accusation against Ben, we are skeptical of motive, but we will continue to cooperate with everyone involved," the statement said.

Channel 11's news exchange partner, The Tribune Review, received the following statement from Willie Colon's agent, Joe Linta:

"Willie has no knowledge of any incident, alleged or otherwise."

Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten released a statement from the team. "We are gathering information and that is the only comment we have at this time," it said.

Roethlisberger and the alleged victim were interviewed, and the woman was taken to the Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville, where she was treated and released, Malone said.

Channel 11 attempted to speak with the alleged victim's sorority sisters but they declined to comment.

Roethlisberger is currently being sued in civil court by Andrea McNulty, who claims the quarterback raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel. The Steelers star denies those allegations and has asked for counter-damages.

Previous Stories: November 11, 2009: Roethlisberger Talks Sex Suit, Poor Team Relations On ESPN October 26, 2009: New Court Document Filed By Attorney Of Big Ben's Accuser October 5, 2009: Harrah's Worker: I Was Fired Over Big Ben's Beef September 30, 2009: Judge Denies Motion To Dismiss Suit Against Roethlisberger September 18, 2009: Roethlisberger's Lawyer: Rape Allegation Part Of Job Fears September 17, 2009: Big Ben's Lawyers Call For Sanctions September 15, 2009: Roethlisberger Lawsuit: 'Cold, Calculated Vengeance Of A Woman Scorned' September 10, 2009: Attorney Wants List Of Women Big Ben Has Had Sex With September 9, 2009: Roethlisberger's Lawyer: Settlement Offer 'Insulting' August 11, 2009: Big Ben's Lawyers Seek Change Of Venue In Sex Assault Case July 24, 2009: Big Ben Makes Statement, Calls Allegations 'Reckless' July 24, 2009: Body Language Expert Breaks Down Big Ben's Statement July 23, 2009: WPXI Speaks With Nevada Sheriff About Big Ben Lawsuit July 21, 2009: Private Eye Who Helped Bettis Discusses Big Ben Allegations