VALDOSTA —

MILLEDGEVILLE – The police officer who initially investigated the sexual assault complaint against Ben Roethlisberger posed for photographs with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback an hour before his accuser filed her complaint.

Sgt. Jerry Blash, who subsequently wrote a sparse incident report that did not name Roethlisberger, had a closeup picture taken with the celebrity football player inside a local bar and, later, outside the bar with a group of other officers.

Police Chief Woodrow Blue said he was not troubled by the photographs, adding that his officers handled the case correctly from the onset.

“The photographs did not and have not affected the investigation at all,” said Blue.

And while Blash, an eight-year veteran of the local police department, was the officer approached by the alleged victim, and the officer who wrote the incident report, Blue said Blash had little involvement in the subsequent investigation.

Questions about whether Blash filed a more detailed narrative and who took over the investigation from him were rebuffed by the chief on the grounds he could not discuss such details because of the ongoing investigation.

Blue did indicate that once his department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation complete their inquiry, they will turn their information over to District Attorney Frederic D. Bright for a determination on whether or not to file charges.

“We want to do a complete and thorough investigation,” said Blue. “The outcome will definitely determine where it goes.”

Roethlisberger, already the defendant in a civil rape lawsuit filed by a Lake Tahoe, Nev., hotel hostess last summer, has hired veteran Atlanta defense attorney Ed Garland to represent him. Garland successfully negotiated the dropping of murder charges against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in 2000, and federal drug charges against Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis in 2004.

The Milledgeville accuser’s parents, who live in an upscale Atlanta suburb, have hired Atlanta attorney Lee Parks to represent her. She remains a student at Georgia College & State University, but has left the campus to be at home for the time being. Thus far she has not been identified by the news media, which normally does not name sexual assault victims.

Blue said the group photo with local police officers had been suggested by one of two off-duty Pennsylvania law officers -- Anthony Barravecchio of the Coraopolis Police Department and State Trooper Ed Joyner -- who had accompanied Roethlisberger to Milledgeville to celebrate his recent 28th birthday. Barravecchio and Joyner are reportedly friends of Roethlisberger and were staying with him at his lakeside home 30 miles north of Milledgeville.

Blue gave no explanation for the closeup photo of Blash and Roethlisberger. He said no officer had yet been disciplined because of the photos.

Besides Blash, the group photo included Milledgeville Det. Everett January, Lt. Willie Goddard, officer Paul Cressman, and Nick Reonas, a public safety officer with Georgia College, where the alleged victim is a sophomore.

Blue said Blash and Goddard were on duty at the time; January and Cressman were off duty but in the vicinity and talking with their colleagues.

He said the Pennsylvania officers approached his men and informed them that Roethlisberger was leaving and offered a chance for a photograph with the quarterback. Blash had already had his taken with the two-time Super Bowl winner inside the bar a few minutes earlier.

The photos were taken at The Brick in downtown Milledgeville around 1 a.m. March 5, according to the bystanders who took them and submitted them to the Milledgeville Union-Recorder. The bystanders did not want to be identified because of the publicity surrounding the case.

Around 2 a.m., the alleged victim approached Blash, who was on early-morning patrol duty, to report that she had been sexually assaulted in the nearby Capital City nightclub. The narrative in Blash’s “incident report” was brief:



“I was approached by the complainant in the 100 block of E. Hancock Street, in front of Buffington’s. The complainant stated she had been sexually assaulted or sexually manipulated by a white male in Capital City located at 119 S. Wayne Street. The complainant was escorted to ORMC (Oconee Regional Medical Center), where she was contacted by Detective [Anthony] Henderson.”



The public report identified the alleged victim by age (20) and work place and included her cell phone number. It also listed the names, addresses and phone numbers of two female witnesses, one 19 and the other 20, presumably friends who had been with the alleged victim at the nightclub.



But it gave no information on who accompanied her to the medical center for examination, what details she or the witnesses provided to Blash or that Roethlisberger was even the person they had identified as the attacker.



The report also gave no indication police had questioned Roethlisberger about the matter even though he was still inside the club when the student and her friends approached officer Blash.



Later last Friday Deputy Police Chief Richard Malone identified Roethlisberger as the only suspect in the alleged assault. He reported that the alleged victim, Roethlisberger and his entourage of friends had been interviewed. He also said Roethlisberger had not been detained or charged in the case.



Earlier this week, investigators said they would ask Roethlisberger to provide a DNA sample. They also said they would interview the quarterback again, along with other witnesses, none of which have been identified by police.



But Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Willie Colon has come forward to say he was with Roethlisberger in Milledgeville, but did not witness any activity between his teammate and the accuser.



Colon’s agent, Joe Linta, said in a phone interview with the Canadian Press that Colon was on the dance floor and not close to where Roethlisberger and the alleged victim were seated in the Capital City nightclub.



“Willie, although he was in the building, had no knowledge of the incident and his name should not be brought up about this incident again,” said Linta. “The first knowledge he had was when he was stopped when leaving the place (Capital City club) to be asked some questions.”