Rape Accusation Leads Cops to Investigate Blackhawks Star Patrick Kane

Star Chicago Blackhawks player and Stanley Cup hero Patrick Kane is the target of a rape investigation in his hometown, reports The Buffalo News, citing two law enforcement sources.

The 26-year-old Kane is under investigation by Hamburg Police in South Buffalo. He owns a home in Hamburg, where police were seen Sunday night. The alleged sexual assault took place last weekend, the sources told The Buffalo News, and Kane’s accuser went to a hospital where a rape-kit examination and tests were performed.

A WKBW Eyewitness News in Buffalo report, citing sources, suggests the incident began at a bar in Evans over the weekend. Plainclothes detectives in three unmarked cars went to Kane’s home Sunday night, neighbors told the Chicago Tribune, and went into the house with flashlights. One wore gloves and was taking photographs.

Kane is expected to present himself to police for questioning, according to News reporter Tim Graham, again citing law enforcement sources.

The Buffalo News, reviewing the social media accounts of Kane and several locals, offers this insight into what Sunday night in Hamburg was like for the hockey player:

“I kissed Patrick Kane,” one woman boasted.

“Patrick Kane bought me a birthday shot last night,” one man wrote.

On Twitter, one man said that Kane “told me he was too bombed for a pic, so of course I snapchatted a pic of him anyway,” he said. Snapchat is a social media site where posts appear just for a few seconds.

Sunday night, a worker posted on Twitter that Kane came into Anderson’s Frozen Custard on Sheridan Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. She wrote that she and someone else blew a kiss to him as he drove away.

A customer tweeted: “the day I wear my pajamas to Anderson’s Patrick Kane is there!!!!”

The customer, a 37-year-old Tonawanda woman, later said in a phone interview with The News that Kane was at Anderson’s between 9:30 and 10 p.m. with three or four young women.

» RELATED: Patrick Kane’s Weekend According to Social Media

The chief of the Erie County District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, Roseanne Johnson, has been assigned to the case. The investigation initially was described as a “statutory rape” case. The age of the accuser is unknown, and police have been ordered not to comment publicly on the case at all.

“We can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of a criminal investigation until such a time as a person is charged with a crime,” Hamburg Police Chief Gregory G. Wickett has told reporters.

Kane has not been arrested or charged.

This coming weekend, Kane was scheduled to bring the Stanley Cup to his hometown. Kane has been with the Blackhawks for all three of the team’s NHL championships. In Game 6 this year, Kane scored the decisive second goal in the third period. He performed well throughout the postseason.

Kane, who has had a girlfriend for the last three years, has gotten into trouble in the past for immature and criminal behavior. In 2009, he was arrested in Buffalo when he and a relative got into an fight with a cab driver. Accused of punching the cabbie, Kane eventually pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Embarrassing photos of him partying have been posted on the Internet for years, much to the displeasure of Blackhawks management.

He admitted he needed ”to grow up a little bit.”

This spring, Kane was featured in one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ popular #WhatsYourGoal videos. Kane delivered pizzas to a Downers Grove fire station on behalf of an Oak Forest woman, Courtney O’Leary, who nominated her firefighter husband Kevin O’Leary and his fellow firefighters for the honor.

“It’s an honor for me to come down here,” Kane said as he dished out slices.

Last year, the four-time all-star signed an eight-year contract extension with the Blackhawks.

“I was obviously grateful for the trust and the faith and support given to me by the organization and the front office, and even my teammates, as well,” Kane said at the time. “I think everyone kind of goes through their different maturation process and maybe mine was a little delayed compared to other guys.”

The Blackhawks released a statement Thursday afternoon: “We are aware of the matter and are in the process of gathering information. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Kane is a beloved fan favorite, and fans are both stunned and skeptical at Thursday’s news reports. Fresh off a Stanley Cup victory, some believe Kane’s rising stardom makes him a likely target for a false accusation and a lawsuit.

» WATCH Patrick Kane Deliver Pizzas to Local Firefighters