Evander Kane facing non-criminal harassment charges against women

NHL
NHL

Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane is facing “non-criminal harassment charges” after a June 24 incident involving two women at a local club called Bottoms Up, police sources told The Buffalo News on Thursday.

Police said the charges are based on witness statements and surveillance camera footage, and that several of Kane’s Sabres teammates were also at the bar that night. Police said a misdemeanor charge was unlikely as “proving intent to impede breathing or blood flow in the neck would be difficult.”

From the News, the incidents in question were:

In the first incident at 3:11 a.m. police stated:

“… While inside Bottoms Up nightclub, suspect threatened complainant and made derogatory comments to her. While outside … suspect grabbed complainant around the throat and tried pushing her into his car.”

In the second incident at 3:15 a.m., police stated:

“… that while inside Bottoms Up, suspect grabbed her by the arms and tried forcing her out of the bar.”

It is unknown if Kane was intoxicated at the time of the incidents, the police sources said. Kane, who is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, tried to engage the bouncer in a physical confrontation, the sources said.

There is a third woman that Kane allegedly harassed who hasn’t come forward to press charges or meet with police, according to the News. But the incident was also caught on video. From the News:

“He yanks the unknown woman by the hair and pulls her down and then grabs her around the neck in the area by the bar door,” the police source said. “She has not come forward.”

Kane is represented by attorney Paul J. Cambria. Evander Kane, we mean – for clarity’s sake, Cambria was also Patrick Kane’s attorney last year when police were investigating sexual assault accusations against the Chicago Blackhawks player.

Said Cambria to the Buffalo News:

“Evander steadfastly maintains that he did not do anything wrong. We have seen the videos and they do not support that Kane did anything wrong,” Cambria said. “I am sick and tired of anonymous sources making inflammatory allegations. If you claim something happened, don’t hide in the shadows. Anonymous sources are worthless. The courtroom is where the truth comes out.”

Since the violations are not of a criminal nature, he won’t be fingerprinted nor will there be a mug shot.

Last December, the Buffalo News reported that Kane was the subject of a sexual offense investigation by police. Their sources claimed that the woman “sought medical treatment” at a local hospital but “couldn’t remember what happened,” while Kane claimed the two had consensual sex at a hotel. Cambria represented Kane then as well.

Acting District Attorney Michael J. Flaherty, Jr., said in March that there would not be charges filed against Kane: After a careful and diligent examination of all the known facts, including the results of forensic and toxicological testing, neither the provable facts nor the applicable law support the filing of any criminal charges or a prosecution in this matter.”

A message to the Buffalo Sabres for comment on the Buffalo News report was not returned.

GM Tim Murray said at the NHL Draft in late June that the team was waiting for the police to look into the matter. “The police will investigate. There will be evidence or there won’t be evidence. And it’ll either go forward or it’ll go away,” he said.

Murray added that the team would react to the investigation no matter the results.

“If it’s true then we have to deal with it. If it’s false again, then I guess we have to come up with a different plan of attack to make sure that these accusations that may not be true, how do we stop them [from happening]?” he said.

It wasn’t his best look.

Kane is in Canada now, but arrangements are being made for him to return to Buffalo to face the charges. The non-criminal charges. We imagine there is going to be some debate about this determination.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.