San Francisco Giants All-Star third baseman Pablo Sandoval has been cleared of , the Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
"There is insufficient evidence to support an arrest," deputy April Skalland reported in a prepared statement.
A 21-year-old Santa Cruz County woman accused Sandoval, 25, of sexually assaulting her early on June 1. She reportedly had met the professional baseball player at Motiv, a club in downtown Santa Cruz, and went back to Seascape Resort in the Aptos beach area.
Sheriff's detectives conducted interviews, and had biological and physical evidence analyzed by the state Department of Justice before concluding that Sandoval's actions were not criminal.
Skalland said the completed investigation has been forwarded to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office for review.
"We're the ones who actually decide whether a crime has been committed," Distorict Attorney Bob Lee said.
But Skalland said the District Attorney's Office has been heavily involved with the investigation with the Sheriff's Office througout the whole process and said she doesn't expect the findings to change.
Tuesday, Sandoval played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He hit a three-run triple, the first in All-Star history, to help lift the National League to an 8-0 win over the American League.
The allegations against Sandoval seemingly had little if any effect on his public image. The Venezuelan infielder was voted as an All-Star starter, beating out New York Mets third baseman David Wright by over 1.6 million votes.
