Stripper told police rape claim not true

DURHAM, N.C. -- A second stripper in the Duke University rape case told police early in their investigation that the accuser was out of her sight for only five minutes that night and that her allegations were a "crock," according to a court papers filed Thursday.

The statement by Kim Roberts about the March 13 lacrosse team party was cited in a filing by lawyers for Reade Seligmann, 20, one of three team members charged in the case.

According to a March 20 statement written by a Durham police investigator, Roberts "stated that she heard that [the accuser] was sexually assaulted, which she stated is a 'crock' and she stated that she was with her the whole time until she left."

The defense lawyers argue that prosecutors omitted that statement when they got court permission in March to obtain photographs and DNA samples from team members.

-- AP