Chicago Blackhawks’ Kane Unlikely To Face Charges

The Buffalo News’ Tim Graham reported it will be unlikely that Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane will face any criminal charges for an alleged rape that occurred nearly three months ago in his Hamburg, N.Y., home.

There have been plenty of ever-changing circumstances surrounding the case that might eventually be dismissed by Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita. Sources have told Graham that the case has hit a dead end.

“This case is going nowhere,” one knowledgeable source told The Buffalo News.

Another source hinted that the case might be dismissed without even going to a grand jury.

“I was told … the case will be administratively dismissed” without being presented to a grand jury, a second source told Graham.

The alleged victim approached the police a day after the rape reportedly occurred and claimed Kane raped her when the two were alone in a room in Kane’s house. The two and one of the accuser’s friends were escorted from SkyBar, a nightlife location in downtown Buffalo, to Kane’s home by an off-duty Buffalo police officer, who served as Kane’s driver.

The case was supposed to be presented in front of a grand jury in Buffalo on Sept. 8, but was postponed without a date for rescheduling.

Since then, plenty of news has broken surrounding the evidence and the rape kit. Reports surfaced that there was no trace of Kane’s DNA in the woman’s underwear. Then, the accuser’s former attorney, Thomas J. Eoannou, held a press conference to announce the alleged victim’s mother had received the rape kit evidence on her front doorstep with the contents opened and exposed.

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A day later, Eoannou held another press conference to announce that this latest incident was a hoax and not an obstruction of justice that had been staged by the mother of the alleged victim, and Eoannou stepped aside from the case. Sedita then held a press conference and revealed that the evidence had not been tampered with and broke down the typical protocol for how these cases were handled by law enforcement.

The Blackhawks have taken a business-as-usual approach to the situation. The team held a press conference on the first day of training camp that featured John McDonough, Joel Quenneville, Kane and captain/assistant captains Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Kane read a statement in which he claimed no wrongdoing and left the room. McDonough then read a statement that drew plenty of controversy for its lauding tone. The team avoided all questions about the investigation and allowed Kane to practice and play.

Kane has been one of the few bright spots on the ice for Chicago this season. He entered Sunday ranked fourth in the NHL with 14 points and tied for eighth in the league with 1.27 points per game. The Blackhawks are 6-5-0 on the season and sit in sixth place in the ultra-competitive Central Division.

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