Cardinals RB Jonathan Dwyer Arrested, Denies Assault Charges
Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer became the latest NFL player to face criminal charges after he was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault.
The arrest stems from a pair of incidents in July when Dwyer allegedly assaulted a woman and an 18-month-old child at his Phoenix home, reports ESPN. The arrest also comes less than a week after another NFL running back, Adrian Peterson, was indicted for child abuse after allegedly injuring his 4-year-old son and amid the continuing controversy surrounding the recently released video footage of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his wife in an elevator earlier this year.
What are the details behind the NFL's latest off-field troubles?
Dwyer Admits to Incidents, but Denies Physical Assault
The alleged assaults occurred in late July, shortly before the Cardinals started training camp. Police were called to Dwyer's home by neighbors who reported hearing a fight. However, police say that Dwyer hid in the bathroom; a woman at the residence told police that no one else was home, claiming the fight had been on the phone.
The next day, the woman said Dwyer had thrown her cellphone out of a second story window when she attempted to call police about another dispute. Dwyer is also alleged to have thrown a shoe at his 18-month-old son. The woman left Phoenix after these incidents, but decided to report the incidents last week, providing police with text messages that indicated Dwyer might "harm himself," reports ESPN.
Police say Dwyer admitted to the incidents to investigators, but denied physically assaulting the woman or the child. However, after conducting an investigation police felt they had enough probable cause to arrest Dwyer on several criminal charges.
2 Counts of Aggravated Assault
Dwyer is charged with two separate counts of aggravated assault: aggravated assault causing a fracture and aggravated assault against a minor. Under Arizona criminal law, both charges are felonies, with maximum prison sentences of three years and one-and-a-half years, respectively.
Dwyer is also being charged with two counts of criminal damage and one count of preventing the use of a phone in an emergency. He is currently free on $25,000 bond.
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Related Resources:
- Cardinals' Jonathan Dwyer arrested on assault charges (The Arizona Republic)
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- 49ers' Aldon Smith Charged With Assault Weapon Possession, DUI (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)