AUSTIN, Texas, USA
The son of former cyclist Lance Armstrong was charged with sexual abuse in 2018, when he was 18, according to an arrest warrant issued in Austin, Texas.
The alleged victim told police in November 2020 that she was assaulted by Luke Armstrong after he took her to a party at her father’s house. Because the young woman was 16 at the time, Luke Armstrong was charged with sexually assaulting a minor, a felony.
Defendant’s attorney, Randy Leavitt, said Armstrong, now 21, and the young woman, now 19, had a consensual relationship and there was no abuse. Armstrong was arrested Tuesday and released after paying a personal bail, according to court records.
“A full review of the facts will confirm that the indictment did not pass in any way and a due and thorough legal process exonerates Luke,” Leavitt said. “What happened three years ago in high school was not a crime and it was not sexual assault. It was a consensual relationship at the time and it followed in a consensual way between two young people who eventually took separate paths.
“These charges never had to be filed, certainly not three years later. But fortunately, Texas’ legal system works and will establish Luke’s innocence.”
Luke will be a fullback substitute for 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 spokesman said Thursday.
According to the affidavit of arrest issued on April 1, the woman told police that she met Luke Armstrong on June 20, 2018, and that two days later she went to a party where she was intoxicated. .
From there, he would have called her to pick her up. She doesn’t remember the ride on the spot, but she woke up at his house, where she told police he sexually assaulted her and then took her home.