Chapman won’t face charges for incident
AROLDIS CHAPMAN will not face charges for an alleged domestic incident in October involving his girlfriend, Florida prosecutors have decided.
But the new Yankees closer could still be subject to discipline from Major League Baseball as it continues its investigation into the matter under its new domestic violence policy.
Broward Assistant State Attorney Stefanie Newman wrote in a closeout memo on the case Wednesday that conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence meant there was “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.” The Davie (Fla.) Police Department earlier had declined to charge Chapman, who was not arrested the night of the incident.
“We are all pleased that the Davie Police Department and the Office of the State Attorney took the time to fully investigate the matter and have concluded that charges were not warranted,” Chapman’s lawyer Paul Molle said in an email.
“Mr. Chapman would like to thank the Davie police officers and the prosecutors at the Office of the State Attorney for their professionalism.
“Aroldis is looking forward to spring training and his 2016 season with the New York Yankees.”
First, though, Chapman and the Yanks must wait for commissioner Rob Manfred to rule on discipline. The league’s new policy on domestic violence does not depend on a conviction or whether charges are brought. At the quarterly owners’ meetings in Coral Gables, Fla., Manfred said he would like to resolve the matter before the season begins, but did not give an indication of how long any possible suspension could be.
“When you have a new policy, the first ones take on a special significance in terms of tone and precedent and all those things,” Manfred said in a press conference at those meetings, referring to Chapman’s domestic case and those of Jose Reyes and Yasiel Puig. “So I’m going to make sure that I know everything I could possibly know about each of these cases before I make any decisions.”
If charges had been filed against Chapman, that likely would have ramped up pressure on MLB to deliver a stiff suspension as a penalty. Now some believe Chapman could face a short ban that would mean the Yankees have him for a greater portion of their season than they probably anticipated. And it likely will not impact his pending free agency after the season, either — a long suspension might mean he would not accrue enough service time to be a free agent.
The news that Chapman would not face charges came one day after Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner said of the matter: “In this country where allegations are brought against a person, that person is completely innocent until proven otherwise. Not the other way around.”
In his first public comments about Chapman, Steinbrenner added, “I understand it is a very sensitive subject, rightfully so. But we just have to wait and see. It’s a touchy subject, but again, a man is innocent proven guilty.’’ The Yankees acquired Chapman from the Reds for four prospects last month and most believe his price tag dropped because of the incident. The Dodgers and Reds had agreed to a Chapman trade at the winter meetings, but Los Angeles backed out when news of it broke.
According to the police report, Chapman’s girlfriend, Cristina Barnea, told cops the pitcher pushed and choked her in a dispute that started when she found a text message on his phone from another woman.
“I’m really scared,” Barnea said on a 911 call on the night of Oct. 30, 2015, according to a partial transcript released by the prosecutor’s office. “He was hitting me in front of everyone and he’s going crazy, there’s a lot of people here.
“I just need the cops here to control him, please that’s all I want.”
Before police could respond, Chapman went into his detached garage and fired a gun at least eight times.
At one point, according to the closeout memo, Chapman told police he was angry and had punched a car window, injuring his hand. But Molle told the Daily News that Chapman’s hand was not hurt.
“I am unaware of any such injury,” Molle said. “There is no injury.” YanKees updates