Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at https://www.thehotline.org/
Former NFL offensive lineman Chad Wheeler recently violated a court order by removing his electronic home monitoring device while he awaits trial in his felony domestic violence case, a spokesperson with the King County Prosecutor’s Office told ESPN’s Brady Henderson Tuesday.
According to court documents obtained by Henderson, Wheeler’s defense attorney said his 28-year-old client experienced a “mental health crisis” on the evening of July 31 when he took off his clothes, removed the home monitoring device from his ankle and began wandering around the streets of Redmond, a Seattle suburb. A friend eventually found Wheeler and called for help.
Wheeler was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and released the following morning, according to Henderson.
According to Henderson, Wheeler appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge ruled he will remain on an electronic home monitoring device with a bimonthly urinalysis, despite efforts from the prosecution to raise Wheeler’s bail and keep him in custody.
Wheeler was arrested on Jan. 23, 2021, after King County police received a call from a woman who was locked in a bathroom after a “physical fight with her boyfriend,” according to the police report. Wheeler’s then girlfriend, Alleah Taylor, suffered a dislocated arm and said that Wheeler choked her until she was unconscious, per Henderson.
Wheeler released a statement on Twitter on Jan. 27, 2021, saying he was “deeply sorry for the pain and suffering that I have caused,” during what he described as a “manic episode.” The post has since been deleted. He pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree domestic violence assault.
The Seahawks released Wheeler on the same day as his tweet, condemning the account of domestic violence and encouraging him to get help.
Wheeler’s trial, which has been pushed back several times, is now scheduled for Sept. 26.
