Indians’ Mesa hit with rape charge

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

CLEVELAND -- Jose Mesa, whose blazing fastball helped the Cleveland Indians win back-to-back Central Division titles, plans to plead innocent to a rape charge two weeks before he reports to spring training.

Mesa, 30, was indicted Thursday on a charge of raping a 26-year-old woman at a suburban hotel.

He also was indicted on two counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of felonious assault, and one count each of theft and carrying a concealed weapon related to a complaint by two women Dec. 22, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Stephanie Tubbs Jones said.

The county grand jury also indicted Mesa's friend, David F. Blanco, 34, of Solon, Ohio, on one count of gross sexual imposition and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.

Gerald Messerman, Mesa's lawyer, said the pitcher would plead innocent.

"We have ample evidence that he is what he always has been - an innocent man," Messerman said. "He is a highly disciplined athlete who has achieved a position of high repute in his chosen activity, baseball."

Blanco also plans to plead innocent, said his lawyer, Niki Schwartz.

Mesa and Blanco were arrested Dec. 27 on charges they fondled two women at a hotel in Lakewood. Each man was freed on a $5,000 bond.

The women told police they met Mesa, who is married, and Blanco at a downtown nightclub. Police said they found 9mm handguns in each man's car when they arrested them.

Schwartz said he did not know if Blanco was married.

Mesa and Blanco pleaded innocent to gross sexual imposition Jan. 8. A new arraignment has been scheduled Jan. 31.

Indians spokesman Bart Swain said the team had no comment.

Messerman said Mesa would report as scheduled to the Indians' spring training in Winter Haven, Fla., on Feb. 13. He said Mesa, who is from the Dominican Republic, is in the United States.

Messerman accused the prosecution of seeking a grand jury indictment to avoid a public hearing that was scheduled Friday and because of Mesa's status as a pro athlete.

"One of the problems when you achieve success is that anything that happens to you is big publicity," Messerman said. "You saw what happened with Michael Irvin."

Rape allegations against Irvin and Erik Williams of the Dallas Cowboys were found to be without basis last week, and their accuser was charged with filing a false police report.

"You can certainly fairly assume that a lot of people will assume guilt simply because there is an indictment, and that's a dangerous thing for someone who's in the public eye," Messerman said.

Grand jury supervisor Kathleen Craig would not say why the rape count was added to the original charges against the pitcher, saying only that "the evidence came out to support that." She would not say whether the women testified before the grand jury.

Rape, a felony, carries a possible penalty of 3-10 years in prison, Craig said. Felonious assault is punishable by 2-8 years, and the weapons and imposition charges, also felonies, each carry a penalty of 6-18 months upon conviction.

The theft charge, a misdemeanor, was related to accusations that Mesa stole a purse from one of the women, Craig said.

Mesa helped the Indians get to their first World Series in 41 years in 1995. He set a major league record by converting 46 of 48 save opportunities with a 1.13 ERA in a nearly impeccable performance as bullpen closer.

He was 2-7 with a 3.73 earned run average and 39 saves in 44 chances in 1996 as Cleveland won its second straight Central Division title.

After the season, Cleveland exercised a club option to pay the pitcher $1.95 million in 1998, plus bonuses earned in 1997.

* TORRE UPSET: New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is looking for a $1 million-a-year contract and is upset that owner George Steinbrenner has failed to do more about a raise three months after the team won the World Series, it was reported today. The New York Times, quoting an unidentified friend of the manager, said Torre was irked that Steinbrenner's only offer was for $750,000, a $200,000 increase from the current two-year, $1.05 million pact. The newspaper also said it unclear whether the $750,000 was intended to replace the final year of Torre's contract or cover a one-year extension through 1998. But whatever the case, the Times said, Torre has told associates he wants a two-year, $2 million contract extension.

Mesa