FRESNO, Calif.—Utah Jazz rookie DeShawn Stevenson has been charged with raping a 14 year-old girl, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Stevenson, a 6-foot-5 guard who went from high school directly to the NBA last year, was charged last week in Fresno Superior Court, chief deputy district attorney Liz Mitchell said.
The 20-year-old Stevenson, a Fresno native who went to Washington Union High School in nearby Easton, faces up to three years in state prison if convicted. His whereabouts Tuesday were not immediately known.
Stevenson is accused of having sex with the girl during a visit to Fresno in the past six weeks, Mitchell said. She didn't have any other details.
A warrant was issued Monday for Stevenson's arrest, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department said.
The Jazz would not comment and Stevenson's lawyer, Richard Berman, did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press requesting comment.
"I didn't even know he played basketball," Mitchell said. "I have no idea what he was doing in Fresno."
This is the second time Stevenson has run into legal troubles since he was drafted in the first round by Utah last year.
On the night he was drafted, Stevenson was involved in a brawl at a high-school all-star basketball game in neighboring Clovis.
Stevenson, who did not play in the game, said he was jumped by five men June 28 after signing autographs. He pleaded innocent to charges of fighting in a public place.
