Dallas PD: 'Insufficient evidence' to pursue sexual assault charges against Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
DALLAS - Dallas police finished their investigation into a woman's recent claim that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sexually assaulted her back in 2017 and found no evidence supporting her allegations.
The woman, Victoria Shores, claims Prescott exposed himself and then sexually assaulted her in the backseat of an SUV outside the XTC Cabaret in Dallas in 2017. She only recently filed a police report this March.
Prescott then sued her, calling her accusations nothing more than an extortion plot. Her lawyers are now trying to get the lawsuit dismissed. A hearing on that is scheduled later this month.
The Cowboys star and his attorney have denied the accusation of sexual assault since day one. His attorney hopes further investigation will only further vindicate him.
DPD said on Thursday that an investigation was conducted, and the case is closed.
"Detectives determined there was insufficient evidence an offense was committed," read a statement from Dallas Police.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman accusing Dak Prescott of sexual assault files report
A police report has now been filed against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for an alleged sexual assault in 2017. This week, Prescott's legal team also filed an extortion lawsuit and met with Prosper police to file a criminal complaint.
Shores waited until March 12, 2024, to file a police report with DPD.
That was after Prescott and his team went public with allegations that Shores and lawyers wanted $100 million from him in exchange for not going to police.
Prescott filed a lawsuit, claiming extortion. Shores then countersued.
Though no criminal charges will be filed, the battle in civil court will continue.
Criminal defense attorney Russell Wilson, a former prosecutor who is not associated with this case, says the lack of a criminal charge will likely affect how the lawsuits move forward.
"If jurors were to hear these facts, in their mind, that’s one of the things that they may be wondering, ‘If this course of events happened to you, why was it that no criminal charges were brought?’" he said.
Wilson calls Thursday’s news an overwhelming win for Prescott.
"Specifically because this case did not even make it to a grand jury," he said. "I think this is a suggestion that you really have your work cut out for you."
Meanwhile, Shores’ attorneys are still trying to get Prescott’s extortion lawsuit dismissed. A hearing is set for later this month.
"We thank DPD for their efforts and this is in no way an exoneration of Mr. Prescott," said Shores' lawyer, Yoel Zehaie, in a statement to FOX 4 on Thursday. "We believe that the investigation showed there were inconsistencies with Mr. Prescott’s story and are moving forward with the counterclaims we have filed. This is not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning in what will be a long legal battle for months to come."
Following the news, Prescott’s attorney, Levi McCathern, also released a statement saying, "As we knew they would, they found nothing in their extensive exploration of the facts that would support a criminal prosecution. We are confident that at the end of law enforcement’s investigation into the extortion case that they will find the accuser and her attorneys just as guilty as Dak is innocent. As I have said from the beginning, Dak is a great football player and an even better human. He would never assault any woman. These false accusations were brought up 7 years after the alleged events for one reason and one reason only - to line the pockets of the accuser and her attorneys. Their behavior is an affront to all the true survivors of sexual assault."
Prescott himself has not directly commented on the recent news. But in an event last month when he was asked about the case, he said, "I know the truth. I'm confident in what we've filed."