Amid a bevy of sexual assault allegations, T.I. and Tiny Harris have managed to avoid at least one charge in Los Angeles because the statute of limitations having expired.
As reported by The Root in May, a woman accused the Atlanta-based couple of an assault that allegedly took place during a night out in Los Angeles in 2005. Her allegations were among a series of accusations from dozens of women who have accused T.I. and Tiny—birth names Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. and Tameka Dianne Harris, respectively—of drugging and sexual assaulting them. As we reported in January, the couple has repeatedly issued denials, calling the claims “egregious.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them,” a spokesperson for T.I. and Tiny said in a statement issued to Complex at the time, with regard to charges brought by former friend turned accuser Sabrina Peterson. Peterson not only alleged that T.I. had put a gun to her head, but shared messages from more than 30 other accusers, drawing a threat of legal action from the Harrises.
The woman who filed charges in Los Angeles remains unidentified. Despite her charges prompting an investigation by the LAPD, prosecutors have declined to pursue the allegations further, citing the statute of limitations. More from People magazine:
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided not to move forward with charging the couple as the case falls outside of the 10-year statute of limitations period.
“Without the strength and weaknesses of the evidence being evaluated, the case is declined due to the expiration of the Statute of Limitations,” the document reads.
Other allegations against the couple remain pending, including a report filed by a Las Vegas woman named Rachelle Jenks, who claims to have been approached by Tiny in the city’s McCarran International Airport in August 2010 and accepted the singer’s invite to a party at the Venetian Hotel. “Once there, she says she was drugged and sexual assaulted by the couple,” Vulture reported, noting that Jenks also accused T.I. of trafficking her to Los Angeles and Miami, and sexually assaulting her on his tour bus.
While there has been no movement on this or any of the numerous other claims, the couple is nevertheless considering the dismissal by the L.A. District Attorney’s Office a win. “Mr. and Mrs. Harris are pleased, but not surprised, by the District Attorney’s decision to dismiss these meritless allegations,” the couple’s attorney, Shawn Holley, told People in a statement. “We appreciate the DA’s careful review of the case and are grateful to be able to put the matter behind us and move on.”
If you or anyone you know is a victim of sexual assault or abuse, the National Sexual Assault Hotline (www. rainn.org/1-800-656-4673) is available for 24-hour support and assistance.