In domestic violence incidents, it can be hard to take the initial charges as fact when emotions are over the top. Anger sometimes incites a person to make accusations when they are unwarranted. Unfortunately, even unwarranted accusations can ruin someone’s reputation, or worse, land them behind bars for an unspecified amount of time. Trying to take back charges once they have been made is not always an option. Even when the accuser wants to have the charges dropped, the alleged violator can still be prosecuted by the State.
Fortunately, for New York Yankees pitcher, Aroldis Chapman, Broward County prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against him after he was accused of domestic violence by his girlfriend. Chapman and his girlfriend apparently were having a birthday party for a friend at the couple’s house when a dispute broke out between the two. According to the memo from the State Attorney’s office, his girlfriend had found a text on Chapman’s phone from another woman, which prompted the dispute.
Chapman’s girlfriend made a 911 call claiming that Chapman had choked and pushed her, and was hitting her and going crazy in front of everyone. She claimed to be hiding in the bushes next door when she heard shots fired. The memo said that Chapman fired a weapon at least eight times in the garage. However, when police arrived, they made no arrests because the story became inconsistent. Chapman’s girlfriend than claimed that she heard only a single shot and was not sure who fired it. There were also no marks on her to show evidence of the alleged choking or hitting. In addition, no other witnesses claimed to have seen the supposed altercation between the two. His girlfriend did not want to press charges by the time the police arrived.
This is one example of where accusations, warranted or not, can affect a person’s life or career. After the alleged domestic violence news was released, Chapman was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Yankees. While the dispute happened in October, he was just exonerated of the charges this past Thursday. If you have been charged with domestic violence, you should seek legal assistance to avoid excessive damage to your life or career. Domestic violence is not always what it seems and all facts need to be considered.
Source: Sun Sentinel, “Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman won’t face charges after Davie incident,” Rafael Olmeda, Jan. 21, 2016