Charge against Ray Lewis III, son of former NFL star, dismissed

A charge against Ray Anthony Lewis III, who was accused of raping a classmate at Coastal Carolina University, has been dismissed.

“About the time you get frustrated with things, the system really works and something that’s right happens,” said Lewis’ attorney, Tommy Brittain.

Lewis, the son of a former NFL star, was indicted on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and was accused of engaging in sexual battery of an 18-year-old female when she and a friend came back to his room after an off-campus party in January 2016.

The charge was dismissed on June 9, according to online court records.

“We’ve felt very strongly from the beginning that this young man was not guilty of anything,” Brittain said. “I’m just relieved that the prosecutors looked into it so thoroughly and came to a similar conclusion that this case shouldn’t go forward.”

Brittain filed a motion to repeal his client’s indictment in September. He was set to go before a judge on the motion later this month.

The motion contended that the woman, who accused Lewis of sexual assault, suggested in a text message to a fellow accuser that they sue him for a “ton of money.”

Officers responded to Grand Strand Medical Center at 4:18 a.m. Jan. 23, 2016 in regard to a sexual assault that two women allege happened in Lewis’ apartment at University Suites, according to court records. All three were students at CCU at the time.

The two women claimed Lewis assaulted them when they were intoxicated after the party.

The motion said Lewis had nothing to do with their alleged impairment and that toxicology reports indicated the women “had very little if anything significant to drink.”

But the cloud of suspicion that came with the alleged actions hung over Lewis and his accusers for more than a year.

Lewis was a CCU football player, but was kicked off the team after his arrest. All three, soon left the school.

“Life is tough enough,” Brittain said. “You hate to see a young person with some serious problems that could affect him or her for the rest of their life at the start of their life.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Charge against Ray Lewis III, son of former NFL star, dismissed."