Famed countertenor and University of Michigan professor David Daniels and his husband, conductor Scott Walters, have been arrested on sexual assault charges.
Ann Arbor police arrested the couple separately in Michigan on Tuesday and booked them into the Washtenaw County Jail, where they remained Wednesday morning, according to authorities. They face extradition to Texas, where they're accused of raping a young singer at a party nearly 10 years ago.
Samuel Schultz came forward in an exclusive interview with the Daily News in August alleging Daniels and Walters drugged him at a closing night party for the Houston Grand Opera's performance of "Xerxes" on May 14, 2010.
Following the arrests, Schultz expressed gratitude to The News for bringing visibility to his claims.
"As a victim of sexual assault I know that our voices, our stories, our choices and our hope create a shared strength that is more powerful than the dehumanizing tactics of those for whom the truth is inconvenient and who wish for our silence," he said.
Schultz, a 23-year-old college graduate a the time, said Daniels and Walters requested that he join them back at their apartment for a drink. He'd never been much of a drinker, but said he accepted a beverage to appease the couple, both widely celebrated across the classical music community.
After a few sips though, the young musician said he blacked out. According to a police complaint, he woke up the next day "in a bed alone, and completely naked."
"I was sore and I didn't know why. I made my way to the bathroom to figure out why I hurt. I was bleeding from the rectum. I became numb. I was paralyzed with fear. What had happened? How could I escape? How would I get out? Where were my clothes?" Schultz wrote in the police complaint.
Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said the department's adult sex crimes unit "received a delayed report of sexual assault that involved two male suspects" in the summer of 2018. It triggered a months-long investigation, which culminated in Tuesday's arrests and a sexual assault charge for both Daniels and Walters.
The couple's lawyer, Matt Hennessy, continued to deny the allegations raised against the couple following their arrest.
"David and Scott are innocent of any wrongdoing. Sam Schultz is not a victim. He never would have gotten this much attention from his singing, and he knows and resents that fact," he said.
"He waited eight years to complain about adult, consensual sex to ride the MeToo movement to unearned celebrity. We will fight this."
In a July statement in which Schultz did not name his alleged attackers, he said he was "terrified" to discuss the incident because "there was a legitimate danger of destroying my career by reporting someone else's assault against me."
Daniels is among the most famous countertenors in the world, while his husband is a widely celebrated conductor. The pair were held in such high regard that they were married by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2014.
Shortly after Schultz's allegations were published, Daniels announced he would take a paid leave of absence from his tenured professor job at the University of Michigan.
"Professor Daniels has been on leave, and off campus, since August 2018," a University spokesperson said. "We will continue to closely monitor the situation as we determine the appropriate next steps."
According to University records, his salary for the 2018-19 school year is more than $191,000.
Daniels was also named in a civil suit filed by former University of Michigan student Andrew Lipian, who accused his former teacher of attempting to grope him in 2017. He also took aim at the university, accusing school officials of remaining "deliberately indifferent" to the Opera star's behavior.
The singer in May was granted tenure by the University of Michigan despite being reported for soliciting sexual favors on Grindr by an anonymous student a few months earlier. UM's Deputy Chief of Police has previously said the tip did not go anywhere because there was not follow-up contact information for the tipster.
A separate accusation about Daniels' conduct on Grindr was investigated by police in Pittsfield Township, but prosecutors declined to file charges.
