Philadelphia – Bill Cosby faces charges over sexual assault and an arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday over his case. The accusation stems from early 2004, when the comedian drugged and sexually violated Andrea Constand, who used to be an employee at Temple University, at his home in Philadelphia. Montgomery County officials said in a statement they issued the warrant after examining evidence and interviewing witnesses. Some Twitter users are asking President Barack Obama to revoke the comedian’s Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded in 2002.

A few months after the incident, Constand moved back to her native Canada, where she lived with her mother. It was not until January 2005 that she told her mother what had happened to her at Coby’s residence and then both of them reported the incident to local authorities, who sent a notification to officials in Pennsylvania.

Bill-Cosby
Bill Cosby arrives at a courthouse in Elkins Park, Philadelphia, to face charges of sexual assault. Credit: LA Times

The case was dismissed in 2005 but new evidence, unveiled since July 2015, clearly shows that the comedian committed the terrible crime. An investigation was reopened after it was determined that the potential criminal offense was still in force. The evidence shows that Cosby established a relationship with Constand and invited her to his residence in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County. She refused when she noticed his sexual intentions and then the comedian made her drink some wine and take three half pills of Benadryl, which made her lose total mobility and then Cosby sexually violated her.

He claimed in 2005 to have given her the pills with her permission, but according to a statement released today by the victim’s attorney Risa Vetri Ferman’s office, Constand did not consent Coby’s acts and declared she felt “frozen” and “paralyzed.”

Other alleged victims also helped to reopen the investigation, as dozen of women have recently accused the entertainer of drugging and sexually assaulting them without their consent. Cosby has denied all the allegations and even filed counter-suits against seven of the women who have accused him. Earlier this month, a lawsuit claimed that his accusers were “engaged in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby’s reputation and character.”

This afternoon an arraignment for the entertainer will take place before Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth McHugh. The worst penalty he could receive is a sentence of 5 to 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine. Constand’s attorneys ask anyone with information about similar incidents with Cosby to call the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368.

 Source: E! Online