Jill Disis, Brian Eason, and Tony Cook

IndyStar

UPDATE: A special prosecutor decided criminal charges were not warranted against City-County Councilman Zach Adamson after a 19-year-old man accused him of rape.

Original story:

A 19-year-old man accused City-County Council Vice President Zach Adamson of rape, an allegation that Adamson has strongly denied.

The incident was reported to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on June 20, according to police records obtained by IndyStar. Documents indicate the alleged incident happened last September.

"We are working with the Marion County prosecutor’s office on the investigation and any public comment will be released by the prosecutor’s office," said IMPD Lt. Rick Riddle in a statement.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry's office released a statement Wednesday acknowledging the police report. Citing Curry's "personal and professional relationship" with Adamson, the office intends to seek the appointment of a special prosecutor to review the allegations, the statement read.

IndyStar does not typically identify victims or alleged victims of sexual crimes.

In a brief conversation Wednesday afternoon with IndyStar, Adamson said he had not been contacted by police. He said that others informed him that the alleged victim was considering filing a report, but an IndyStar reporter's inquiry was the first Adamson had heard about the alleged victim actually filing it.

"This is the first official confirmation that he’s actually done it," Adamson said.

Adamson also issued a statement denying the allegations.

“I’ve only recently become aware of accusations against me, which are completely untrue and without merit," Adamson said. “Unfortunately, it appears I’ve become a target of ridiculous accusations. These allegations of impropriety are false. I can’t say that any more strongly.

“Until it is resolved, I’ll refrain from further comment and refer all questions to my attorney, Kathleen Sweeney."

Asked what happened the day of the incident, his attorney declined to comment.

"We have no idea what the allegations are, so we can’t comment on things we don’t know about," Sweeney said.

Adamson has not been charged with any crime. Legal experts say the delay between when the incident was alleged to have happened and when it was reported may make it challenging to prove a case.

“Time is extremely important to the police. And in sex cases, the danger of the loss of evidence is serious,” said Jack Crawford, an Indianapolis defense attorney and former Lake County prosecutor. He said the delay means valuable physical evidence, such as DNA or clothing, could be lost.

“It doesn’t totally destroy the ability to go forward but it certainly jeopardizes it,” he said.

But Crawford also cautioned against using the time delay to draw any conclusions about the accuser.

“In sex cases, it is not unusual for the victim to delay his or her reporting,” Crawford said. “Victims blame themselves. Victims are embarrassed.”

The first openly gay councilman in the city’s history, Adamson last year was elected to a second term in a landslide. In January, he was appointed vice president, the No. 2 position on the council. He also chairs the Public Works Committee.

In his first term, Adamson carved out a prominent role within the Democratic caucus as a vocal critic of former Republican Mayor Greg Ballard, opposing the mayor on issues that ran the gamut from a proposed criminal justice center, to the World Sports Park and the BlueIndy electric car share service.

He also has been a leading advocate for environmental issues and gay rights, co-sponsoring resolutions against a proposed same-sex marriage ban in 2013, and the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act last spring.

Adamson represents District 17, which includes much of the east side and an eastern sliver of Downtown.

Call IndyStar reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter: @jdisis.

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter:@indystartony.

Call IndyStar reporter Brian Eason at (317) 444-6129. Follow him on Twitter:@brianeason.

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