A former Georgia high school football standout turned temporary Atlanta Falcons player is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, PEOPLE confirms.
Justin Crawford, 23, is charged with sodomy, aggravated child molestation, incest and enticing a child for indecent purposes — all felonies.
Crawford is being held without bond at the Muscogee County Jail. His public defender could not be reached for comment. He has not yet entered a plea.
At a probable cause hearing on Monday, Columbus police detective Mark Scruggs testified that Crawford’s wife, had gotten out of bed around 4 a.m. Saturday and discovered her husband with an erect penis standing over the child in their living room, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports.
Scruggs said in court that Crawford’s spouse went back to bed but felt uneasy about what she saw.
However, in a later interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, his wife disputed the detective’s account, telling the newspaper that her husband’s penis was allegedly exposed but not erect.
“I did not see anyone having sex, or I would have called police right away,” she said.
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Crawford’s wife alleged to the paper that he rushed off to the kitchen to cover up and later told her he fled the living room because she scared him.
She said he denied having contact with the child.
Later that day, the girl told her mother that Crawford allegedly came into the living room while she was sleeping and had her perform oral sex and had intercourse with her, Scruggs said in court, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Scruggs said when pressed by police, Crawford admitted the acts, stating that it was the girl’s idea, the newspaper reports.
Prosecutor Matthew Brown says the judge found there was enough evidence to justify the arrest and the case has been bound over to the district attorney’s office.
“At the end of the day the district attorney will determine what charges may be brought to the grand jury,” he tells PEOPLE.
Crawford first earned wide notice as a player for Columbus’ Hardaway High School, according to the Ledger-Enquirer, and he was later a running back for West Virginia University for two seasons where rushed for 2,245 yards and had 11 touchdowns, the Associated Press reports.
The Falcons signed him in May as a free agent but he was cut from the team in September, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
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