April 7, 2021- 9:44 p.m
AUSTIN — Luke Armstrong, son of world-famous cyclist Lance Armstrong, was arrested after authorities say he sexually assaulted a child in June of 2018.
An Austin Police Department affidavit states that 21-year-old Luke David Armstrong sexually assaulted a 16-year-old after a party in south Austin three years ago. He was 18 at the time.
Armstrong’s attorney, Randy Leavitt, denied the allegations and claimed that the two were in a consensual relationship that lasted months.
He said the Armstrong family is supporting their son and is gathering evidence to present to the district attorney which dispute the victim’s claims.
“What occurred three years ago in high school was not a crime and was not a sexual assault. It was a consensual relationship then and continued consensually between two young people with both ultimately going their separate ways,” Leavitt said.
“These charges should not have been filed and certainly not three years later.”
The victim told police in November 2020 that she asked Armstrong to pick her up from the party after she had been drinking.
The victim says she didn’t remember the ride in Armstrong’s truck but remembered waking up on a couch at a house where Luke lived and being sexually assaulted, the affidavit says.
In a December 2020 phone call between the victim and Armstrong, the affidavit says Armstrong admitted to having sex with the victim at his dad’s house.
APD interviewed multiple people who were connected to the victim and had previous conversations about the incident. Most told police that the victim indicated that she was sexually assaulted.
One friend, however, told police that the sex was consensual, the affidavit says.Armstrong was granted and released on a personal recognizance bond Tuesday, Armstrong’s attorney Randy Leavitt said.
The family is fully cooperating with the district attorney’s office and Leavitt said he is actively gathering evidence and witness testimonies to prove Armstrong’s innocence.
“A complete review of the facts will confirm what has been alleged absolutely did not occur. And a proper and thorough legal process will exonerate Luke,” Leavitt said.
Armstrong was a walk-on member of the Rice University football team in 2018 and 2019.
