CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After months of postponements, Miles Bridges’ domestic violence case has finally come to a resolution.
On Thursday, the Charlotte Hornets restricted free agent pleaded no contest to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent, agreeing to a three-year probation period with no jail time, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
As part of the deal, the 24-year-old will have to attend 52 weeks of parenting classes and domestic violence counseling, as well as 100 hours of community service. He’ll also be forbidden from owning any dangerous weapons and must undergo weekly narcotics tests, according to the DA’s office.
Bridges will also be subject to a 10-year protective order prohibiting him from contacting the victim or being within 100 yards of her.
In a written statement, the DA’s office said prosecutors consulted the victim about the deal, which they framed as a solution that balanced their desire to hold Bridges accountable and to expedite the case for the victim’s sake. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2023.
The allegations
On June 29, Los Angeles police arrested the 24-year-old on a felony intimate partner violence charge. District Attorney George Gascón said the case stemmed from an allegation that Bridges had physically assaulted a woman in front of their two young children.
The next day, she posted a series of images on Instagram: photos of her swollen face, mask pulled down to show a bloody lip and scratched jaw, along with an image of what appeared to be a hospital report. The Charlotte Observer typically doesn’t identify people alleging domestic violence.
The report referred to the patient as the “victim of physical abuse by a male partner” and listed a series of injuries: concussion, broken nose, bruises and a strained neck muscle. She’d been strangled, according to the paperwork.
In the since-removed Instagram post, she said that she’d allowed her attacker “to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life.”
The case so far
Bridges turned himself in to Los Angeles police and posted $130,000 bail that week. But the case has stalled since he initially pleaded not guilty on July 20 to three felony charges: one count of injuring a child’s parent, and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause injury or death.
In California, prosecutors don’t present evidence to a judge until a preliminary hearing, in which a judge decides whether they have enough evidence to show probable cause that a crime occurred and to bring Bridges to trial. If not, the judge can throw out the case.
For Bridges, the date to schedule that preliminary hearing was initially planned for Sept. 7. But since August, it’s been pushed back seven times.
By pleading no contest, Bridges avoided admitting guilt in the case but agreed to accept conviction and punishment. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to The Charlotte Observer’s request for comment.
Hornets response
The allegations against Bridges arose just as his career seemed ready to launch into stardom. The 6-foot-7 forward was the Hornets’ leading scorer in the 2021-2022 season, garnering him a $7.9 million qualifying offer from the team.
Bridges remains a restricted free agent and is eligible to sign with any team, but the Hornets have a right to match the offer to retain him.
The Hornets haven’t outlined their plans to respond to the allegations so far, though they did re-sign another restricted free agent: Cody Martin.
A collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association requires investigation into domestic violence allegations – and allows a player to be put on administrative leave until it’s completed.
In 2014, ex-Hornet Jeff Taylor earned a 24-game suspension from the NBA when he pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges. While Taylor wasn’t a free agent at the time, The Charlotte Observer has reported that Bridges could face a similar penalty if his case ends in a conviction.
The Hornets’ offseason was already thrown into chaos in May, when Montrezl Harrell was arrested on a drug trafficking charge after a traffic stop in Madison County, Kentucky.
In that case, a state trooper said he found more than 3 pounds of marijuana in Harrell’s vehicle — a Class D felony carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison. Harrell had joined the team in February.
