Treon Harris' attorney releases statement: 'He is not guilty of a crime'
Thursday afternoon, the attorney of Treon Harris released a statement in defense of the true freshman Florida quarterback.
Hunley Johnson, Harris’ attorney, maintains Harris’ innocence in regard to an allegation that he was involved in a sexual battery incident over the weekend.
“We have previously indicated that we do not believe that Mr. Harris will be arrested or prosecuted,” Johnson said in the statement. “That is because of our experience and the facts of this case. He is not guilty of a crime and he did not mistreat this young lady in any way that night.”
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While the school released a heavily-redacted police report, Johnson purported that several witnesses agree Harris and the alleged victim were walking together into the Springs Residential Complex before the sexual interaction took place and looked happy together. In addition to the witnesses, Johnson explained that the woman making the allegations initiated the text messages between Harris and the alleged victim prior to Saturday night.
“We have provided law enforcement with multiple witnesses that will indicate what the interaction was between the alleged victim and our client before they returned to our client’s room: they were smiling and they were holding hands,” explained Johnson. “They returned to the Springs Residential Complex in a car driven by another female student who was a friend of the alleged victim.”
“When these text messages are released, they will show that the young woman making these allegations initiated the conduct with Mr. Harris while he was still in the locker room in Knoxville. Shortly after the team plane landed, texting continued between Mr. Harris and the alleged victim,” Johnson added in the statement.
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Harris’ attorney also went as far to call the alleged victim the “sexual aggressor” and contends the young woman had a prior sexual interaction with another male an hour before she and Harris were together.
“We know that an individual has given testimony to law enforcement that he had sexual relations with the alleged victim less than an hour before the alleged sexual conduct with our client took place,” the statement says. “In fact testimony indicates that the young lady in question was the sexual aggressor in that interaction.”
“We believe the evidence will show the alleged victim was in fact in the sexual aggressor with not one, but two young men early last Sunday morning.”
Johnson also used the statement as an opportunity to “dispel” several rumors he claims have been circulating about his client.
- Harris and the alleged victim knew each other before the interaction late Saturday night. Johnson says “they knew each other to the extent that they had each other’s cell phones and had previously spent time together on their own accord for the purpose of socializing together.”
- Johnson claims his client did not break into the alleged victim’s room. “Those rumors are patently false. Mr. Harris has never been inside the young lady’s room. We understand that all of the evidence was gathered from our client’s room, which is where the interaction between the two parties took place.”
As a result of the sexual battery allegation, Harris is currently suspended from all team activities for an indefinite period of time.