Police Arrest Man for Alleged Threats After Wife Cancels ESPN
ESPN SportsCenter is probably the one thing Jerome Smalls couldn't live without.
When his wife cancelled their cable (and cut his ESPN Sportscenter), Jerome Smalls allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and threatened to cut her, CBS News reports.
At their residence police interviewed a woman who claimed her husband threatened her with a knife after he found she cut off their cable, police said. He was especially upset about losing the 24-hour sports network, ESPN, officials said.
The woman told police she cancelled their cable because they could no longer afford it.
Smalls, 43, admitted to grabbing his wife and screaming at her, but denied threatening her with a knife. A flat-blade kitchen knife was found on the bedroom floor, officials said.
Smalls claimed he was upset because they can afford cable service. He told police officers that he believed the luxury of cable was well within the household budget.
He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree threatening.
Typically, disorderly conduct involves unruly conduct and almost every state has a disorderly conduct law. In some cases, police also may use a disorderly conduct charge to keep the peace when a person is behaving in a disruptive manner, but presents no serious public danger.
The elements of disorderly conduct vary from one jurisdiction to another. The punishment for disorderly conduct is usually fixed by statute. Under most statutes, the penalty consists of a fine, imprisonment, or both.
According to the Norfolk newspaper, The Hour, Smalls appeared for arraignment, where a judge issued a protective order over his wife and continued the case until Feb. 10.
- Cut My Cable & I'll Cut You (Clarksbackyardblog.com)
- Dispute erupts when wife cancels ESPN, cable TV (The Hour)
Disorderly Conduct (FindLaw) - Domestic Viloence FAQ (provided by Baird Law Group)
- Dos and Don'ts When Arrested (provided by David J. Larkin, Attorney at Law)