New York - Movie star Cuba Gooding Jr was charged Thursday
with groping a woman's breasts at a Midtown bar [in Manhattan, New
York] and tried deflecting the spotlight as he bolted out of a
courthouse.
"It's been a long day," he told reporters after facing a judge and
gaining his release.
"Get well Big Papi," he added, a reference to retired Red Sox slugger
David Ortiz, who was recently shot and injured in the Dominican
Republic.
Gooding, 51, was charged with one count of forcible touching and one
count of sexual abuse in the third degree after flying back from
California and surrendering to New York Police Department [NYPD] sex
crimes detectives.
The "Jerry Maguire" star waved to reporters as he entered the police
grilling around 2 pm [1800 GMT] and had a slight smile on his face as
he was led away in handcuffs to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court.
His lawyer Mark Heller entered a plea of not guilty on Gooding's
behalf and asked the judge to move the case along "expeditiously."
"The people will investigate, speak with the witnesses. I don't know
how long it will take," Judge Herbert Moses said, setting a return
date for June 26.
The judge released Gooding without bail.
Speaking to The New York Daily News just minutes before the voluntary
surrender, Heller said Gooding was adamant he did nothing wrong.
"Nobody is happy to be in this position, but I can tell you he's
feeling extremely confident and has great trust in the legal system.
He has no concern he'll ever be convicted. It's just a terrible
ordeal," Heller said.
Heller said surveillance video taken inside the Magic Hour bar shows
no assault of the 29-year-old alleged victim.
"I have to tell you, I've viewed almost two hours of video, and it
does not reveal one scintilla of criminal conduct, not even something
ambiguous that could be misinterpreted," Heller said.
"They have extensive video. We've reviewed it all. It shows this
woman almost stalking him, following him around," he said.
Police sources previously told The News that the complaining
club-goer told investigators she immediately started yelling at the
"Radio" star after being groped and then left the rooftop bar to call
911.
Heller said Gooding was at the venue with Claudine De Niro, the
former wife of Robert De Niro's son, who is Gooding's "girlfriend at
this point."
He claimed police have not asked De Niro for an eyewitness statement.
"They never even extended the professionalism to question her," he
said. "I just don't get it, to be frank."
After Gooding was charged, Heller said he was "shocked and horrified"
and planned to ask for a speedy prosecution because he doesn't
believe the alleged victim will show up to testify.
"I am completely confident that he will be totally exonerated, and I
would not be at all surprised if at the conclusion of Mr. Gooding's
proceedings, a criminal charge is launched against the lady who is
alleging that she was abused - and that she's charged with perjury,"
he said.
He said Gooding "is very perplexed because the people he usually sees
when he goes to these parties and these different events are always
very kind," and simply want to take a photo with him.
"He reciprocates in kindness, as he was in this particular case,"
Heller said.
"We even see one incident where she's basically rebuffed, and
(Gooding) said, 'You know, please leave us alone, let us have our
privacy,'" he said.
Asked about a second woman who stepped forward this week to say
Gooding groped her buttocks more than a decade ago at a Midtown
restaurant, Heller said his client had no recollection of the alleged
incident.
The woman claims the assault happened in March 2008 at Butter
Restaurant, which is owned by chef and Food Network star and judge
Alex Guarnaschelli, police sources told The Daily News.
New York has a five-year statute of limitations such assaults, so the
woman's claim is too old to even consider filing charges, officials
said.
"I trust the system, and I'm going to let the process speak for
itself," Gooding said in a video released to TMZ showing him greeting
fans Tuesday night while boarding a flight to New York.
"There's a tape that shows what really happened. You have to have
faith in what people say."