AUSTIN, Texas, EE.UU.
The son of former cyclist Lance Armstrong was charged with sexual assault in 2018 when he was 18 years old, according to an arrest warrant issued in Austin, Texas.
The alleged victim told police in November 2020 that she had been attacked by Luke Armstrong after taking her to her father’s house from a party. Since the young woman was sixteen at the time, Luke Armstrong was charged with sexual assault against a minor, a felony.
The defendant’s attorney, Randy Leavitt, said that Armstrong, now 21, and the young woman, now 19, were in a consensual relationship and that there was no abuse. Armstrong was arrested on Tuesday and released in a personal capacity, according to court records.
“A full investigation of the facts will confirm that the charges were in no way whatsoever and a thorough and fair trial will safeguard Luke,” said Leavitt. “What happened in high school three years ago was neither a crime nor a sexual assault. It was a consensual relationship at the time and it continued in a consensual way between two young men who eventually went their separate ways.
“This complaint should never have been filed, certainly not three years later. Fortunately, however, the Texas legal system is working and will prove Luke’s innocence. “
Luke was a backup fullback on the Rice University football team in 2018-2019. He chose not to play the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and has not returned for spring training, a team spokesperson said Thursday.
According to the April 1 arrest statement, the woman told police that she had met Luke Armstrong on June 20, 2018, and that she attended a party two days later where she was drunk.
From there she would have called him to pick her up. She doesn’t remember the trip in the car, but she woke up at his house, where she told police he sexually assaulted her and then took her home.