SAN DIEGO — Ten search warrants have been unsealed that are related to sex assault allegations made by a young woman against several former San Diego State University football players.
In December, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan determined her office would not file criminal charges against the players, including punter Matt Araiza.
The unsealing was the result of requests to Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser by several media outlets, including FOX 5. The warrants, from the San Diego Police Department, are hundreds of pages long and contain several redactions.
Detectives with various SDPD units targeted social media platforms and cell phone companies. They included Google, where they asked for specific search information, and several Snapchat accounts looking for videos and chat messages involving the then 17-year-old woman at the center of the alleged incident from October 2021. Investigators also wanted T-Mobile to provide voicemails, texts, emails, video calls and digital information from several parties. Verizon was also asked for the same types of information as detectives tried to trace digital footprints to glean more about what happened before, during and after the alleged incident.
Authorities also asked Instagram for photos, video files and messages. A warrant sought to get texts, email, iMessages and videos from Apple accounts. Detectives also requested passwords, photos, videos and messages from Facebook.
In the end, no evidence of the alleged assault was found in any of those accounts.
However, the warrants do recount what the victim says happened on the night in question and in the days afterwards. They also show that SDPD had detectives do undercover surveillance on the three SDSU players during their investigation.
Araiza says he’s innocent of allegations made by the woman in a civil lawsuit, saying that any contact between them was consensual.
The attorney for Araiza, Dick Semerdjian, sent FOX 5 the following statement by email Friday:
“We greatly appreciate the thorough investigation by the San Diego Police Department of Jane Doe’s serious allegations. The released warrants again confirm the innocence of Matt Araiza and the fact he should never have been named in this civil lawsuit. Jane Doe’s inconsistent narrative is highlighted by the eyewitnesses and her own friends who accompanied her the night of the party. Matt Araiza did not participate in any sexual assault. He never entered the home with Jane Doe. We again urge Jane Doe to dismiss her unsupported lawsuit against Matt Araiza so both can move on with their lives.”
Dan Gilleon, the attorney representing the young woman, issued this statement to FOX 5 Thursday:
“We didn’t object to the warrants being unsealed. The truth favors the victim in this case. What seems to have gone unnoticed about the warrants being issued is this: the Judge who signed the warrants first found there was probable cause that a crime had been committed. The fact the DA didn’t file charges changes nothing about the Court’s decision. It’s important to remember that DA’s are politicians, and they don’t like to lose. Until our country stops electing DA’s, this risk averse mentality will continue, in favor of criminals.”
