Revenge porn charges dropped against Garret Ross
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Chicago Blackhawks minor league prospect Garret Ross will not be prosecuted over accusations that he shared an image of a woman engaged in a sexual act without her consent, a spokeswoman for the Dekalb County state attorney told the Chicago Tribune's Stacy St. Clair.
The charges were dropped as the victim, a resident of Sycamore, Ill. was trying to prosecute Ross in Illinois and complained to her local police. At the time of the photo sharing, Ross was in Michigan, where DeKalb County does not have jurisdiction.
“This is not a crime that occurred in the state of Illinois. Further investigation revealed that Ross and the recipient were both in Michigan at the time,” DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack told the Tribune.
The Blackhawks suspended Ross indefinitely upon learning of the revenge porn charge. Ross, who is from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was charged Feb. 2 after investigators obtained a search warrant for his cellphone. The Blackhawks re-instated him to the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday.
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According to the court filing, the victim told the police in September that she sent a nude video and pictures to a teammate of Ross before she ended the relationship upon learning that he had a girlfriend. The other player and his girlfriend broke up before Ross was also dumped.
The teammate was never charged.
The victim may choose to press charges in Michigan, where the crime is a misdemeanor. Revenge porn is a felony in Illinois and is punishable by up to three years in prison with a fine of up to $25,000.