BATON ROUGE - LSU wide receiver Drake Davis is out of jail, but his felony, second degree battery charges against a former girlfriend remained after a bond hearing on Monday morning in front of East Baton Rouge Parish District Judge Donald T. Johnson.
Davis, 21, will remain under close watch by the authorities with orders not to contact his former girlfriend - an LSU student who went to an LSU official and then to LSU Police and listed four separate violent incidents involving Davis over the last 18 months. These included Davis allegedly punching her in the stomach and side, "strangling" her, according to the LSU Police report, and ripping an earring off her ear.
LSU Police arrested him Friday night, and he was placed at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. A junior reserve receiver from Baton Rouge, Davis was immediately suspended indefinitely from the LSU football team.
"No, Davis' alleged victim has not dropped the charges," East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said Monday after the hearing and conferring with attorneys on both sides throughout the morning. "The investigation will continue, and if the investigation is sufficient, we'll file the appropriate criminal charges and have an arraignment at a later date."
The alleged victim is also not saying the list of original charges are false, Moore said, rebuking what Davis' attorney Marci Blaize told the Baton Rouge Advocate on Saturday.
“I have been contacted by the victim, and she has provided me a statement that the allegations are, in fact, false," Blaize said in the Saturday story.
Blaize, though, has not yet produced a formal statement of her conversation with the victim, Moore said Monday.
"That had been reported (through Blaize), and I've spoken with her (Blaize)," Moore said.
Moore also said he has spoken to the alleged victim.
"The victim has instead indicated that she wants to change her statement as to what happened," Moore said. "I have not received that formal statement from the defendant's lawyer (Blaize), who she gave that to. But I did speak to her (the alleged victim) in person, and she did not say she wants the charges dismissed. At this point, she's just indicated that she wants to change her statement."
Any changes to her original statement are not necessarily germane to the investigation anyway, Moore explained.
"It's totally up to the state of Louisiana and to the District Attorney's office to choose whether we honor the request or not," Moore said. "Because charges are brought in the name of the state of Louisiana, not brought in the name of a victim. We will be the ones that decide how to proceed."
Moore repeated to reporters what he told the USA Today Network Monday morning about alleged domestic abuse victims having initial remorse after filing charges.
"It is not unusual. In fact, it is common that victims of domestic violence come in shortly after making the allegations and say, 'I don't want to file the charges now,'" Moore said.
But by then, it's often too late, Moore said, as investigations usually have already started.
"We'll look at the evidence," Moore said. "Is there medical evidence? Are there phone calls, text messages out there. Are there other witnesses that will say, 'I saw it. I saw the effects of it.'"
Right now, my only concern is her - her well being and safety."
A text message from Davis to the alleged victim that says, "I might kill you" has already been given to LSU Police by the woman, according to the police report.
"Right now, my only concern is her - her well being and safety," Moore said. "Domestic violence is bad. It's dangerous. It's all over the country. We have to find a way to stop this. It's 100 percent preventable. Not drawing any conclusions in this case, but just in general. It's something that we need to pay attention to in our city."
Davis has been monitored since his release late Saturday night from East Baton Rouge Parish after a two-night stay through a monitoring service. He is not, however, under a restraining order, Moore said.
"She (the alleged) victim indicated to us that she did not wish to ask for a restraining order," Moore said. "However, both sides agreed that he would not have contact with her and suggested that she not have contact with him, although not a court order."
If convicted, Davis could face up to eight years in prison, Moore said.
"He is presumed innocent," Moore said. "He said he is innocent."
Davis can enter a not guilty or guilty plea at his arraignment when his charges are read to him.