Police: Ex-Santa Rosa Growler hockey players gave conflicting statements of alleged sexual assault

The woman who reported three ex-Growler hockey team players raped her told investigators in graphic detail they held her down while one recorded the orchestrated assault, police records show.

Moses Matthews III, 33, Dominic Jones, 34, and Josiah Nikkel, 30, were arrested Feb. 5 while in Nevada for a tournament against the Reno Ice Raiders.

At the time, they were members of a Senior A amateur ice hockey team that has home games at Snoopy’s Home Ice in Santa Rosa.

All three are all charged with sexual assault. Matthews also faces one count of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image and suspicion of capturing, distributing or displaying an image of a private area of another person, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing, which determines whether there’s enough evidence for defendants to stand trial, was scheduled for Wednesday in Washoe County Justice Court. The defendants waived the hearing and the case proceeds to the Second Judicial District Court, court staff said Wednesday

They’re scheduled to return to court on April 14. None of them are in custody.

During an initial investigation, detectives found that the victim’s timeline was unwavering and consistent with hotel surveillance footage, text messages, eyewitness testimony and medical exam results.

A Reno Police Department arrest report said Matthews, Jones and Nikkel’s accounts, in which they claim to have had consensual sex with the woman, were inconsistent with the evidence and changed by the day.

Multiple names and locations linked to the investigation are redacted in the report.

'Unable to move or say no’

According to the arrest report obtained by the Press Democrat, on Feb. 4, the victim was treated at a hospital for injuries related to the alleged sexual assault.

After being examined, she met with detectives and gave them a graphic account of what happened when she met Matthews at The Stick nightclub and, at 1 a.m., went back to his hotel room he shared with the two other hockey players.

The victim said she had consensual sex with Matthews and he asked her to stay the night. She expressed reluctance until he presented a “Marshalls {sic} badge” identifying himself as law enforcement. The police report says Matthews is unemployed.

She agreed to stay the night and Matthews drove her to her sorority house for an overnight bag before they engaged in consensual sex at the hotel, she said.

The victim also stated Matthews was on top of her when Jones and Nikkel entered the room and undressed. Matthews held her arms down while the others sexually assaulted her, according to the report.

Investigators wrote in the report the victim “laid there crying and felt unable to move or say no” while she was held down.

She saw flashing lights and believed she was being videotaped.

According to the report, the victim was able to get out of bed after asking for her phone so she could call a friend. She got her belongings and left the room crying with Matthews following.

In the hallway, she told him “This was not okay” and Matthews drove her home, according to the arrest report.

According to text messages obtained by police, Matthews later texted her from his work cellphone: “Baby (expletive) I feel so bad.”

Conflicting statements

The victim later underwent a rape exam and police launched an investigation.

Investigators approached Matthews at his hotel and a detective asked him if he knew why they wanted to talk to the three men.

He responded “Probably about last night,” according to the arrest report.

Matthews used his phone on their elevator ride to the room and told detectives his call was for a family emergency before admitting he contacted an attorney who advised against going to the police station.

Police searched the hotel room and defendants’ phones and believe Matthews took a photo of the victim during sex and sent it to Nikkel without telling her.

Matthews stated the sex was consensual and all defendants denied holding down the victim and hearing her say “This isn’t what I signed up for,” according to the report.

Matthews gave his account of the previous night and the other two defendants, who were nearby, supported his version of events.

They later provided statements that did not line up with evidence, surveillance footage or each other’s accounts even though they were together when they were first interviewed by investigators, the report showed.

Blake Johnson, their hockey team’s captain, issued a statement last month condemning the alleged sexual assault and announced the three men were removed from the team.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8511 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.