Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are pouring over key pieces of evidence in the investigation of a bombshell rape claim against Eric Swalwell that could lead to criminal charges against the disgraced former congressman, a high-ranking law-enforcement source told The Post.
Deputies in the department’s Special Victims Bureau will need contemporaneous evidence to stand up the shocking allegations leveled by Lonna Drewes, 50, who accused Swalwell of drugging, choking and raping her at a West Hollywood hotel in 2018.
Drewes delivered evidence to the West Hollywood sheriff’s station Tuesday shortly after sharing her story at a tearful press conference, saying she has damning texts, photographs and journal entries that will prove her claims.
“Everything’s going to be built on a circumstantial case, and the more the better,” said the law-enforcement source, who is familiar with the case. “It’s a question of how much is enough.”
With physical evidence of the alleged crime likely nonexistent nearly eight years later, investigators are searching for witnesses to the attack, which Drewes said occurred the third time she met Swalwell when the two were supposed to attend a political event.
The criminal probe is focusing on the Montrose Hotel in West Hollywood, where deputies are searching for anyone who witnessed the alleged crime, the source said.
“Maybe a maid remembers, “Hey, I cleaned that room” and saw evidence of a crime committed there, the official said.
Any surveillance footage is likely lost at this point, since most systems overwrite their video every 30 days, the source added. So investigators will need to find other ways into the case.
“Did it generate any kind of a police inquiry? Was there a disturbance call? That generates more potential evidence,” the official said.
Beyond that, investigators are parsing the material presented by Drewes to deputies.
They’re searching with particular intensity for anything specific that names the ex-congressman and specifies the rape, according to the source.
“What do the text messages reveal, the photos reveal? Contemporaneous things. What do they show?” the official asked.
Drewes said the assault and its impact were documented in therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut. Notes from those sessions will be invaluable to prosecutors if they name Swalwell and the crime, the source explained.
If investigators want to interview Swalwell about the alleged crimes, he will have to participate willingly. Any search of his home, phones or computers will have to be done with a warrant.
Representatives for the LA County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the specifics of the probe.
“Investigators are in the process of gathering information, reviewing available evidence, and conducting follow up inquiries,” the department said in a statement.
Once the investigation is concluded, the sheriff’s department will present its findings to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, which will decide if there is enough evidence to file charges.
The DA’s office has already taken the rare step of assigning a prosecuting attorney to aid in the investigation and is working with the sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau on the case.
“Our office has assigned our Sex Crimes Division to work closely with law enforcement,” the DA said in a statement.
The stunning allegation comes after four women last week revealed heinous claims against Swalwell, including one woman who said he sexually assaulted her.
Another criminal case is proceeding against the disgraced Democrat in New York City, where the ex-staffer claims the assault occurred.
The accusations have destroyed Swalwell’s political career, prompting him first to pull out of the California governor’s race and then on resign from Congress.
Drewes said she didn’t come forward sooner because of Swalwall’s political connections and family ties to law enforcement.
In California, the statute of limitations for pursuing sexual assault charges can be extended to 10 years or longer. But the passage of time still makes it harder for deputies to make their case, according to the high-ranking enforcement source.
“It’s going to be based on her word and any witnesses, especially witnesses of the actual crime itself,” the official said. “That would go a real long way.”
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The post Investigators are zeroing in on key evidence in Swalwell accuser’s rape claim appeared first on New York Post.
