Miles Bridges’ case delayed for 6th time, now set for 2 days before Hornets start season
Before this week, you could count the delays of Miles Bridges’ felony domestic violence case in California on the fingers of one hand.
Now you can’t.
On Wednesday, and for the sixth time, a scheduled procedural hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court involving the Charlotte Hornets’ free agent never took place.
Once again it was moved ahead, this time to Monday, Oct. 17, according to the office of District Attorney George Gascon, which is prosecuting the case. That’s two days before the Hornets start their NBA season.
Gascon’s office did not respond to an email from The Charlotte Observer seeking information about the most recent delay.
Bridges’ defense attorney, John Barnett of Tustin, Calif., was in trial Wednesday and unavailable for comment, a spokeswoman said.
Wednesday’s agenda for the judge and attorneys remained a short one — finding a date for Bridges’ preliminary hearing, when prosecutors will be required to produce evidence that Bridges committed a crime.
Bridges, the Hornets’ leading scorer last year, was arrested on June 29 in Los Angeles and charged with beating up his girlfriend in front of their two children. Police described the incident as “Intimate Partner Violence with Injury.”
.JPG "CLT_HORNETS_BULLS_26 (2).JPG")
He pleaded not guilty on July 20 to three felony charges: injuring a child’s parent; and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. If convicted of all three counts, Bridges faces up to almost 12 years in prison.
The case has remained immobile ever since, further clouding the player’s status with the team for the coming season.
Bridges, the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, became a restricted free agent in July when the Hornets tendered him a $7.9 million qualifying offer.
That offer expired Oct. 1, meaning the Hornets still have a right to match any deal he receives on the free-agent market. But now, the team must renegotiate a new contract with Bridges if it decides to bring him back.
Prior to his arrest, Bridges was expected to receive offers of up to $25 million a year.
Depending on the outcome of his case, Bridges likely will face a stiff suspension from the NBA, similar to the 24-game punishment the league handed former Hornet Jeff Taylor in 2014 following his guilty plea on domestic violence charges.
What could happen at the hearing
After Bridges’ arrest, his accuser went on social media to share photos of her injuries and what appeared to be a copy of her medical report.
The report described an “Adult victim of physical abuse by male partner” who had suffered “assault by strangulation; brain concussion; closed fracture of nasal bone; contusion of rib; multiple bruises; strain of neck muscle.”
So far none of that has appeared in court.
Under California law, a preliminary hearing will provide the first glimpse of the prosecution’s case against Bridges. The government must prove to a judge there is “probable cause” that a crime has been committed and that prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Bridges to trial.
Probable cause is a much lower standard of proof than “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which is required during a criminal trial when jurors are deliberating a verdict.
During a so-called “prelim,” prosecutors can call witnesses and provide other evidence, which Bridges’ lawyers can challenge. The judge then decides if the case either moves forward or is thrown out.
Just when that decision will be made remains to be seen.
