Adelman Rape Charges Dropped
Officials cite insufficient evidence
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:57 PM PST
LADBS
Andrew Adelman
Andrew Adelman, former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, is off the hook. Citing insufficient evidence, prosecutors declined Friday to file criminal rape charges.
Andrew Adelman, 52, was accused of raping an unconscious woman at his downtown Los Angeles condominium. He resigned from his post in September, shortly after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa placed him on paid administrative leave. He was never arrested.
In July, a woman told investigators she had been on a "pub crawl" with friends, planning to walk from bar to bar throughout the evening, when she met her alleged attacker -- Adelman -- and other people.
According to a search warrant affidavit, the woman said the group went into a bar and had a few drinks, then moved on to the plaza of the Music Center, where she drank a beer while watching an outdoor concert. After her friends left to eat at a nearby restaurant, she supposedly blacked out.
She told investigators she woke up just before dawn to find herself being sexually assaulted. According to the warrant, she blacked out a second time and again woke up while being sexually assaulted.
The man then drove her back to her vehicle near the Music Center, according to the warrant.
The woman told investigators she "felt like a robot" during the alleged assault and was unable to physically or verbally resist. Suspecting she may have been drugged, she sought medical attention and a toxicology screen, according to the warrant, which does not detail the results of any testing.
Adelman has never commented on the allegations, though his lawyer has said "it's unfortunate that ... an investigation has been made public before any determination of the validity of the allegations have been made."
Adelman was hired in 1997 by then-Mayor Richard Riordan. After Adelman resigned, Villaraigosa filled his position with Raymond Chan.
