Sounders’ Montero facing sex assault allegation

SEATTLE — Prosecutors are reviewing a woman’s report that Seattle Sounders FC star Fredy Montero sexually assaulted her last month.

Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office in Seattle, confirmed Friday that “a matter involving this person has been referred from Bellevue police for review,” and no charging decision had been made.

He declined to provide further details, but a redacted incident report from the King County Sheriff’s Office makes clear that a 23-year-old woman told Bellevue police on March 22 that Montero, 21, had sexually assaulted her early that morning.

Montero, a striker from Campo de la Cruz, Colombia, did not join the team in traveling to play Toronto FC this week. The Sounders have said he is recovering from the flu.

The sheriff’s office report details a second complaint the woman made, when she called Tuesday to say she had seen Montero in a white Nissan Murano at an intersection in Sammamish, near her home. She told a detective she feared for her safety and believed Montero may have been looking for her house.

Detectives determined, however, that Montero was in the neighborhood with his host family because the family’s son was playing in a soccer game at nearby Skyline High School.

“The two being at the intersection at the same time was simply a coincidence based on the investigation,” the sheriff’s report stated.

Bellevue police completed their investigation of the sexual assault allegation and forwarded their findings to the prosecutor’s office late Thursday.

Montero has scored three goals in the Sounders’ two games. He was named Major League Soccer’s player of the month.

The allegations were first reported by seattlepi.com. Sounders spokesmen did not return several calls from The Associated Press, but one, Dave Pearson, told the Web site, “We fully support Fredy and expect him to play next week. We will have no further comment at this time.”