what i had always thought the rape story was true. then what is the actual story?
MEMBER OF JODECI ROBBED AT HOME
The Record (Bergen County, NJ); 7/25/1993; JIM CONSOLI, Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
07-25-1993
MEMBER OF JODECI ROBBED AT HOME -- SINGER SAYS $20,000 LOST IN TEANECK ASSAULT
By JIM CONSOLI, Staff Writer
Date: 07-25-1993, Sunday
Section: NEWS
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday
TEANECK -- Two robbers armed with a handgun tied up and assaulted a member of
the rhythm-and-blues group Jodeci and another man before ransacking
their house and escaping with more than $20,000 in jewelry, police
confirmed Saturday.
The incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Queen Anne
Road home of Donald DeGrate, 23, whose stage name is Devante Swing, they
said.
In April, DeGrate and another member of Jodeci were charged with
sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman and threatening her with an
assault rifle. Both men have denied those charges, which are pending
presentation to a grand jury, Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said
Saturday.
Thus far, police have found no links between the two incidents.
"The two armed men didn't say or do anything that would lead us to
believe it [the robbery] was done in retribution for the first
incident," said one investigator, who asked to remain anonymous.
Citing a pending investigation, police declined to release a report
on the Friday night incident, but sources said that DeGrate allegedly
was struck in the head -- possibly pistol-whipped -- by one of the robbers
after being tied and blindfolded. Another man living in the house, who
couldn't be identified, was tied up and then kicked by one of the men.
Neither DeGrate nor the other victim was seriously injured, police
said. Both declined medical treatment.
The intruders entered the house through an open garage door, police
sources said. After they entered the first floor of the house, the
unidentified victim, who was talking on the telephone with a friend,
spotted the men and called out to them thinking they were also friends,
they said.
"One guy came up to him armed with the handgun and then tied him
up," said the investigator.
The men searched the house and found DeGrate sleeping in a
second-floor bedroom. They awakened him, tied his hands behind his back,
and blindfolded him. Moments later, he was struck four times in the head
by one of the men, possibly with the handgun. "He couldn't see what was
used to hit him," the investigator said.
The men then ransacked the house for about a half hour before
fleeing with the jewelry, which included watches and gold chains, police
said. No money was reported stolen during the incident.
After the men left the house, DeGrate freed himself and called
police.
The robbers were described by DeGrate and the other victim as being
in their mid-20s. Further physical descriptions were unavailable
Saturday.
Police said they have not determined whether the intruders had
targeted the house because it is owned by DeGrate.
"Nothing about the group [Jodeci] was mentioned during the
incident, so we don't know yet," said the investigator.
Jodeci's debut album, "Forever My Lady," has sold 2 million copies.
The group's music videos appear regularly on MTV.
Keywords: TEANECK. MUSIC. PROFESSION. THEFT. ASSAULT
Copyright © 1993 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
