
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 16, 1991                   TAG: 9104160355
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Newsday
DATELINE: PALM BEACH, FLA.                                LENGTH: Short

TESTS DON'T ELIMINATE SMITH/ WOMAN WAS NOT DRUNK, SAYS SOURCE

Preliminary forensic tests do not rule out the possibility that William Kennedy Smith engaged in sex with a 29-year-old woman who has accused Smith of raping her, a source close to the investigation said Monday.

"These initial tests did not eliminate him" as the person who produced semen found in the woman, the source said.

The source, a law enforcement official, also said that a blood test administered on the woman about 10 hours after the reported rape indicated "no drunkenness or drug use." But the source would not say whether the analysis could establish the exact level of intoxication at the time of the incident. Investigators hired by the Kennedys have been asking witnesses how much the woman drank the night of the incident.

In his public statements, Smith has never denied having sexual relations with the woman - insisting instead that he committed "no offense." He has said the woman's accusations that he abused and physically coerced her are a "lie." Smith's attorneys could not be reached for comment Monday.

by CNB