Johnny Manziel may have his assault charge dropped should be successful in completing his court ordered treatment and meet some other conditions. The former Texas Aandamp;M quarterback has been accused of kidnapping, assault and making death threats against his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. Her allegations have resulted in him being charged with one count of misdemeanor assault. This has been one of the more domestic violence cases of the past few months. Crowley says that she is deaf in her left ear as a result of the altercation. This is all according to reporting by the Dallas Morning News. The couple had been arguing over his involvement with another woman.
A deal was reached between Manziel’s domestic violence attorneys and the Dallas County district attorney’s office earlier in the year. The agreement stipulated that should he complete a number of conditions, the charges will be dropped. This is not an immediate resolution, as it is not with most domestic violence cases, but may take up to 12 months for him to complete everything that is required of him.
While the agreement had been reached earlier, the details were not released right away. Manziel is being mandated to complete anger management counseling sessions, show up at a domestic violence victims impact panel and complete a substance abuse program. For the last item in that list, he can choose a court ordered program dealing with drug and alcohol addiction or go for one offered by the National Football League (NFL). The agreement also prohibits him from having any contact with Crowley, as is customary in domestic violence cases.
Although the details of the agreement have been announced, the judge in the case has yet to give their approval of the deal. Right now, it is up to Manziel to find himself a spot in a treatment facility or program, according to the office of the district attorney.
All of this can be thrown away if he is unable to complete any of these conditions within 12 months. Should that happen, or should he be arrested for anything else, the district attorney is prepared to prosecute him for the charge, which is a Class A misdemeanor. This charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a find of $4,000.
Jim Darnell, Manziels domestic violence lawyer, has called the deal, “a fair and just resolution for all parties involved. My client is pleased to be able to put this part of the situation behind him and is eager to satisfy the terms of the agreement.” This is from an email statement from the assault attorney.
The district attorney’s office released an email statement of his own. It read, “The goal of a conditional dismissal agreement is to teach an individual how to make better decisions when dealing with conflict. It is an important first step for a defendant. Success or failure will depend upon one’s commitment to the treatment programs included.”
This is a fairly routine way the state deals with misdemeanors, even in domestic violence cases. One of the district attorneys on the case, Jim Varney, said that they often offer these conditional dismissal deals to defendants who have misdemeanor charges pending against them because of the large number of misdemeanor cases the court system has to contend with. He said, “It is common for it to be offered, and it is common for it to be accepted.This is not something new and novel.”
Manziel will not be left to do as he pleases over the next year. His progress and compliance with the conditions of the deal will be monitored by the Dallas County Prosecutors.
Manziel may already have violated the conditions of this deal as he is being sued by a bar employee in Austin. The employee alleges that Manziel broke his nose. While no charges have been filed in connection with this incident, law enforcement is looking into it.
Should the police file charges in this case, it is likely that the Dallas County prosecutors will pursue prosecution. Being arrested for another assault before his conditions from the first assault have been met is a violation of the dismissal deal.
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