Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon Had A Menacing Charge Against Him Dismissed

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According to WCPO, a misdemeanor menacing charge against Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon was dropped on Friday.

The dismissal comes one day after a complaint was filed that alleged Mixon pointed a firearm at a woman on Jan. 21 and said, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police [can’t] get me.”

“We’re requesting dismissal because we need additional investigation before we would move forward with this case,” the city prosecutor’s office said in court Friday, according to WCPO.

According to video footage obtained by WLWT, the complaint can still be refiled. Following the incident, which was classified as a misdemeanor, an arrest warrant was issued for Mixon.

Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer, released a statement to WCPO: “It was a rush to judgment. They’re dropping the charges first thing in the morning. I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges — because of the damage that can be done to the person’s reputation — to do their work. They should be held to a higher standard. Because I don’t play with people’s lives.”

In a follow-up comment to PEOPLE on Friday evening, Schaffer reiterated that the dropping of the charges was warranted. He said, “Obviously we are very pleased that the police and district attorney realized that the mistake had been made.”

 

 

He termed the handling of the situation as “refreshing,” clarifying, “As opposed to continuing on that path, they did the right thing.”

The Bengals said in a statement following the initial filing: “The club is aware misdemeanor charges have been raised against Joe Mixon. The club is investigating the situation and will not comment further at this time.”

 

Mixon, 26, was charged with misdemeanor assault in 2014 while playing for the University of Oklahoma; a video surfaced showing him punching a female student during a confrontation, fracturing bones in her face.

 

He was suspended from the team for a season and, as part of a plea agreement, was sentenced to a year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and cognitive behavior counseling.

 

The video was released in 2016 with a statement from Mixon’s attorney at the time, Blake Johnson, after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the city of Norman, Oklahoma, should release surveillance footage of the incident.

In the statement, Mixon’s attorney wrote: “Mr. Mixon asked us to once again say he is sorry for the way he reacted that night. He has apologized publicly to Ms. Molitor, her friends, his family, teammates and the University. He hopes that his voluntary release of these recordings will help put this matter to rest.”

According to ESPN, Mixon was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft and was given a four-year extension to his contract in 2020. After the extension, his contract was valued at $48 million.

 

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