CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges appeared in a Los Angeles County court for a preliminary hearing on felony domestic violence charges stemming from his July arrest.
Bridges's court date was rescheduled to Friday, Sept. 16. He faces one felony count of injuring a child's parent and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. He was arrested in early July in connection with an alleged assault on his girlfriend, who is the mother of their two children. A criminal complaint said the assault happened on June 27 or 28. He was released on a $130,000 bond.
Bridges, 24, pleaded not guilty to all three charges in July. The child abuse charges carry punishments of up to six years in prison, meanwhile, the domestic abuse charge carries a punishment of up to four years in prison, according to the criminal complaint.
Mychelle Johnson, the mother of Bridges' two young children, addressed the incident on Instagram, posting several pictures of injuries and a medical report that read “adult victim of physical abuse by male partner; Assault by strangulation, Brain concussion; Closed fracture of nasal bone; Contusion of rib; Multiple bruises; Strain of neck muscle.”
“I hate that it has come to this but I can’t be silent anymore. I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “I have nothing to prove to the world, but I won’t allow anyone who could do something so horrible to have no remorse and paint a picture of something I’m not. I won’t allow the people around him to continue to silence me and continue to lie to protect this person.”
The Hornets have responded to the charges against Bridges, stating they will monitor the situation.
"We are aware of the charges that were filed today against Miles Bridges. These are very serious charges that we will continue to monitor," the Hornets said in a statement. "As this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time."
If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.