WEST HOLLYWOOD—Former pro football player Darren Sharper was charged on February 14 with drugging and raping two women, one in October and the other in January, said the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in a press release.
Sharper is charged with two counts of rape by use of drugs, four counts of furnishing a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance ”“ all felonies, said Deputy District Attorney Stacy Okun-Wiese with Major Crimes.
Prosecutors said that on October 30, 2013 Sharper met two women at a nightclub in
West Hollywood and then invited them to another party. On the way, Sharper allegedly told the women he had to stop by his hotel room to pick something up and invited the women up to join him. While there, they were given a shot and then passed out. It is believed that the women were drugged.
The controlled substances allegedly were zolpidem and morphine. Zolpidem is used to treat insomnia; in increased doses it can cause hallucinations and amnesia. Morphine, found in opium, is a highly addictive painkiller.
Sharper, 38, was scheduled for arraignment on February 14 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. However, Jane Robison, Public Information Officer for the District Attorney’s Office, informed Canyon News that his arraignment was moved to Thursday, February 20.
Okun-Wiese will ask the judge to raise bail to $10 million because Sharper is suspected of raping women in several other states including Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana and Florida, where he’s from.
Sharper remains out of custody on a $200,000 bail. If convicted, he faces more than 30 years in state prison.
