NC domestic violence charges dropped against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges
A prosecutor dismissed Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges’ domestic violence charges on Tuesday because of inconsistent victim statements, according to court records.
Bridges was accused of tossing pool table balls at a woman’s vehicle while children were in it. The victim first told police a woman damaged her car, but later said it was Bridges, according to the dismissal’s filing. She later said she was not sure who caused the damage. ESPN first reported the dismissal.
“In preparation for the upcoming scheduled trial, the victim gave a recent statement to prosecutors in which she said she is unsure how the damages were caused,” the dismissal paperwork signed by Assistant District Attorney Samantha Pendergrass said. “Given the lack of sufficient evidence necessary to overcome the inconsistency of these accounts, the state would not be successful at trial.”
In another incident, Bridges was accused of violating a domestic violence protective order by repeatedly contacting her via social media and phone even after a judge in California told him not to, according to a January 2023 arrest warrant.
But she is “no longer in possession of nor can remember the content or contacts,” court records say.
The charges dismissed include:
▪ Two counts of misdemeanor violating a domestic violence protective order.
▪ Misdemeanor child abuse.
▪ Injury to personal property.
In October, Bridges’ attorney, Allen Brotherton, submitted a motion for prosecutors to hand over certain evidence. That included:
▪ Statements “exculpating or mitigating” Bridges’ role, as well as evidence that would “implicate another person.”
▪ Any “contradictory” statements that were given by a witness.
▪ Any “exculpatory or mitigating” statements made by Bridges.
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment beyond what was in the dismissal paperwork.
A spokesperson for the Hornets declined to comment.
Bridges signed a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer on July 2. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, he has expressed interest in staying with the Hornets longer.
“I would love to be here long term,” he told The Charlotte Observer on Friday. “I feel like if we had our full team we would have already been a playoff team and then we wouldn’t even be having (trade) talks. So, we’ve just got to get our guys back and I’m excited to be here.”
Asked about his charges in November, Bridges said he’d win on the court to earn back trust.
“I’m just going out there and looking to play,” he said at the time. “I feel like if I can get us some more wins, I feel like people’s perspective will change a little bit on me.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 5:32 PM.