Our Laguna Niguel domestic violence criminal defense attorneys were interested to read about the arrest of a high-profile athlete -- Los Angeles Lakers player Matt Barnes. According to the Sacto 911 blog of the Sacramento Bee, Barnes was arrested on the evening of Sept. 8 after a fight with his fiancée turned into a 911 call. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department told the newspaper that Gloria Govan had tried to call 911 during the fight, but was apparently prevented from completing the call by Barnes. After traveling to their home and speaking to both Barnes and Govan, deputies arrested Barnes on charges of felony domestic violence as well as maliciously obstructing the use of a telephone line. He posted bail and was released the same night.
Barnes and Govan reportedly have twin sons together, and had planned a wedding in Santa Barbara before it was called off. The two live together, according to the Sacramento sheriff's deputies. According to the blog post, 911 dispatchers received a call at 4:15 p.m. that afternoon, but the call was incomplete. Dispatchers said they heard the sounds of a struggle before the call was disconnected. When deputies arrived at the home, they found that both Barnes and Govan had injuries. After speaking to both parties, they decided Barnes was the primary aggressor and arrested him for domestic violence. Govan later released a statement through the couple's public relations firm, saying Barnes never hit her or her family and the allegations are false. Barnes texted a Sacramento television station to say that he was a victim but was still arrested because of bias against men in domestic violence situations.
As Riverside County domestic violence criminal defense lawyers, we agree that police officers and prosecutors do tend to assume that the man is guilty in domestic violence situations. This article does not give enough evidence for us to judge whether that's true in this case, but we did notice that Barnes and Govan both had injuries. That means they may both be guilty of domestic violence. If that's true, officers may have chosen to arrest Barnes because they believed he was the more violent, or the one who caused the violence. Or, they may have chosen to arrest him because they were biased toward believing women are victims (and perhaps also better suited to care for the couple's sons). Men are more often the aggressors in domestic violence, but that doesn't mean officers should simply assume they are, especially when the evidence tells a different story. This kind of bias is a form of sexism that officers should not practice.
At Howard Law, P.C., we defend clients of all genders and backgrounds from charges of domestic violence against a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, child or other person who shares the same home. Domestic violence charges very frequently grow out of a situation in which the only two witnesses are the participants -- the alleged perpetrator and the alleged victim. That means in many cases, there is no objective evidence -- just the word of the people involved. When our clients' credibility is at stake in this way, our Newport Beach domestic violence criminal defense attorneys make sure that credibility is solid. Accusers who are past or present romantic partners sometimes have a hidden agenda, which we will do our best to expose to prosecutors and jurors.
Howard Law, P.C. offers free, confidential consultations, so you risk nothing by speaking to us about your rights and your legal options. To learn more or set up a free consultation, you can speak to our office toll-free at 1-800-872-5925 or send us a message through the Internet.
