Ex-Terp indicted for rape, assault
Former starting center Dodd accused of assaulting intoxicated woman in 2017
“The fact that the victim in this case was intoxicated did not give Mr. Dodd the right to take advantage of her.”
Former Maryland men’s basketball starting center Damonte Dodd has been indicted on rape and assault charges for allegedly having sex with an intoxicated woman in a November 2017 incident, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said Dodd, 24, who played for the Terps from 2013 to 2017, has been indicted on second-degree rape, second-degree assault and related charges.
The alleged incident began on Halloween 2017, when the alleged victim went to the Terrapin’s Turf bar in College Park to celebrate with friends and met Dodd for the first time, according to charging documents. Dodd bought her alcoholic drinks, the documents said, and took her to a friend’s apartment in College Park. In the early-morning hours, Dodd had sex with the alleged victim “against her will and an occupant in the apartment confronted him upon awaking,” the state’s attorney’s office said in a news release.
The alleged victim reported the incident to police five days later, and Dodd admitted to the sexual acts, but said the encounter was consensual, the state’s attorney’s office said. Awarrant was issued for Dodd’s arrest, The 6-foot-11 Damonte Dodd, a Centreville native and Queen Anne’s High grad, started 69 games for the Terps and ranks eighth in school history in blocked shots. and he was taken into custody Thursday upon returning to the United States from a trip to Mexico.
A spokeswoman for the state’s attorney said Dodd was on his way back to Maryland to turn himself in but was detained in Atlanta by Homeland Security officials. He was being held there Friday, but a Prince George’s County judge set conditions for his release, saying Dodd would have to give up his passport, stay out of College Park and avoid contact with the alleged victim. He is expected to appear for his bond hearing Thursday at Prince George's County Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro.
“The fact that the victim in this case was intoxicated did not give Mr. Dodd the right to take advantage of her,” Alsobrooks said in
Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney
a statement. “We will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that he is held accountable for his actions.”
Dodd’s attorney, Thomas C. Mooney, said he could not comment on the particulars of the case but said his client has cooperated with Prince George’s County police. A school spokeswoman said Maryland was aware of the allegations.
“We’re looking forward to the case being heard in court,” Mooney said. “We’re confident in a favorable outcome.”
The 6-foot-11 Dodd started 69 games for the Terps and ranks eighth in school history in blocked shots. After leaving Maryland, the Centreville native played briefly in November for the Northern Arizona Suns, the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.
In December, he wrote in a post on Instagram that he was going to "take some time off from basketball to get myself together."