*Update* Kobe Bryant`s accuser a teen from Colorado

[Walter Cronkite]

The sexual assault allegations against Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant were made by a 19-year-old Colorado woman.

Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy confirmed the woman`s age Tuesday and said she has left on vacation with her family.

He also said investigators have sent unspecified evidence to the state Bureau of Investigation for analysis, but refused to discuss other details of the case. A bureau official would only say the work has begun.

The 24-year-old Bryant is accused of sexual assault, and prosecutors are expected to decide by the end of the week whether to charge him. Bryant`s attorney, Pamela Mackey, says he is innocent and expects to be exonerated.

According to an arrest warrant, Bryant attacked the woman June 30 at a hotel near Vail. Officials at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards have confirmed Bryant stayed there June 30-July 2.

Bryant, a five-time NBA All-Star, surrendered to authorities Friday and was released after posting $25,000 bond. Mackey said her client was in Colorado for surgery.

The case was ordered sealed by Judge Russell Granger at the request of the sheriff. "I wanted to preserve the defendant`s right to a fair trial," Granger said Tuesday.

The sheriff said the media attention given to the case was "mind-boggling."

"To me, the sad part is if this hadn`t been who it involved this wouldn`t even be a blip on anyone`s radar screen," he said. "Personally, I think they`re focusing on our suspect rather than on the victim."

Last month, Bryant signed an endorsement deal with Nike, but company spokeswoman Celeste Alleyne said she could not comment about Bryant`s future with Nike.

"He`s signed on with Nike and we are discussing the terms of his endorsement deal," Alleyne said. "We think he`s a great player and that`s all we can say until this situation is settled."

[Walter Cronkite]

Detective: Bryant Went to Hospital After Accusation

One of the investigators in the case involving Kobe Bryant said Wednesday the Lakers star was taken to a hospital hours after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a mountain resort.

Doug Winters, a detective with the Eagle County sheriff's department, refused to say why Bryant was taken to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs early July 2.

"If we make contact with a suspect with any type of case that requires further investigation, then we would transport them at any time,'' he said.

Winters said Bryant was free to go because he had not been charged. He said Bryant was picked up by a taxi.

Bryant, 24, is accused of attacking the woman at an area hotel on June 30. Officials at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, 40 miles east of Glenwood Springs, say Bryant was a guest June 30-July 2.

Prosecutors are expected to decide by the end of the week whether the Los Angeles Lakers guard will be charged. His attorney says Bryant, who was in Colorado for surgery at a Vail clinic, is innocent.

Vail taxi driver Terry O'Brien, 38, told The Orange County Register he picked up Bryant and three bodyguards from the emergency room of the hospital about 2:30AM MT on July 2.

He said he dropped Bryant and two others at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, then gave the third bodyguard a ride back to the spa.

The man "cleared out'' Bryant's belongings, O'Brien said. When the trip ended at 5AM the fare of $372 was paid by bodyguard Michael Ortiz, O'Brien said.

O'Brien was not at work Wednesday and a telephone listing in his name was disconnected. A dispatcher refused to contact him.

Sheriff's officials have not said anything about a hospital visit by Bryant and a spokeswoman refused to discuss the case Wednesday.