The Onondaga County (N.Y.) District Attorney's Office was forced to subpoena Syracuse police for records relating to the child sex abuse allegations against basketball coach Bernie Fine, The Post-Standard reported Tuesday.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick sought the records, which date back to 2002, for presentation to a grand jury Tuesday. But he told the paper he was stonewalled by the Syracuse Police Department.
Fitzpatrick said when the subpoena was delivered Monday to deputy police chief Shawn Broton, an obscenity was uttered in response.
"I've never seen this happen in my history with the DA's office," Fitzpatrick said, adding he had been asking for the records since Thursday before turning to a judge for a subpoena to force the police to provide the records.
"I pleaded with people to turn over the records," he told The Post-Standard. "I don't understand this. I've heard three different stories about what they have and don't have."
Fine, an assistant to Jim Boeheim for 35 years, is accused of sexually molesting two former ball boys in the 1980s in allegations reported last week by ESPN. Fine, who has adamantly denied the accusations, was placed on administrative leave by Syracuse.
Boeheim has fiercely defended his close friend, saying the allegations were fully investigated and determined to be unfounded in 2005.
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said Monday that police would not share any information until their investigation was completed.
"I directed Chief (Frank) Fowler to allocate as much time and as many resources necessary to conduct a thorough, professional and complete investigation into this case from 2002 to the present," Miner said in a statement.
"The Syracuse Police Department will not be releasing information about the investigation to the media or any other entity in a piecemeal fashion," he added.
The statement was issued before Fitzpatrick obtained a subpoena.
