Charges Dropped Against SAVING ABEL Guitarist

February 11, 2009

Oakland Tribune reports that prosecutors dropped felony charges Tuesday against a member of the rock band SAVING ABEL and a roadie after reviewing a videotape of the incident in which they were accused of forcing a minor to give them oral sex.

Guitar player Jason Null, 33, of Cornith, Miss., and guitar stringer Brandon J. Danger, 21, of Tampa, Fla., were arrested on felony charges of forced oral copulation and forced oral copulation on a minor after SAVING ABEL performed at Oakland's Oracle Arena on February 3, opening for AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

The 17-year-old girl, who attended the concert with her younger brother, told police she was lured to the band's tour bus by Danger, who asked if she wanted to appear in a music video.

Once the girl was on the bus, Null pushed her face into Danger's exposed crotch, forcing her to perform oral sex, according to what she told police. She was allowed to leave after saying she wanted to stop.

However, attorneys for the men's defense were able to provide a videotape of the incident to the Alameda County District Attorney's office Monday, and after reviewing it, prosecutors said the girl's story was too suspect to take to court.

"Based on the video, the girl was not completely truthful to police," Assistant DA Tom Rogers said. "The video contradicts her account of what happened. Among some of the things video shows, is that she led the people on the bus to believe she was older than she really was, told them she had graduated from high school. The video also shows, no force was used when she committed the sex act. Nor does it show Null forcing her head down to the exposed genital area, as she had said."

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