Jun 5, 2009 7:36 pm US/Pacific
Minor League Goaltender Charged With Rape
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS) ―
A minor league hockey goaltender pleaded not guilty Friday to raping an unconscious and intoxicated woman he met in Newport Beach in 2006 while participating in an Anaheim Ducks' off-season conditioning camp.
David Jeffrey McKee, 25, of Irving, Texas, entered his plea to one felony count each of rape of an unconscious person and rape by intoxication, Orange County District Attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.
On July 12, 2006, while McKee was participating in the Ducks' conditioning camp in Anaheim, he and some friends went to Woody's Wharf in Newport Beach for drinks and met the 25-year-old woman.
After the bar closed, McKee went to the woman's apartment with a group of people, but the woman was intoxicated and went into her bedroom alone to go to sleep, Emami said. At about 4 a.m., McKee allegedly went into her bedroom and raped her while she was unconscious.
The woman woke during the sexual assault and contacted Newport Beach police, Emami said.
McKee was signed by the Ducks April 1, 2006 to a two-year entry-level contract after playing three seasons for Cornell University. He has played for five minor league teams over the past three seasons, including the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL this past season.
McKee was recalled by the Ducks several times, but has not played in a National Hockey League game.
Bringing rape charges after nearly three years is "highly, highly unusual," said defense attorney Allan Stokke.
"I understand (the case) was rejected at least twice by the district attorney," Stokke said.
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Nicholson said the investigation into the case was ongoing, with prosecutors sending the case back to detectives for follow-up investigation. A case is deemed rejected when it is sent back, but prosecutors continued to review the evidence, Nicholson said.
"We reassessed new evidence, and sometimes it just takes time," Nicholson said. "It didn't just go cold."
McKee faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of both charges, Emami said.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Tom Goethals granted a request that will allow McKee, who is free on $100,000 bail, to travel out of state as long as he makes all his court appearances, Stokke said.
McKee, who was indicted May 11, was ordered to appear again in court on July 10, Emami said.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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