Readers may have heard of the famous U.S. soccer star Hope Solo and her recent involvements with the law. The 32-year-old Solo was brought to court late last month in connection with allegations that she assaulted two relatives, her 17-year-old nephew and her half-sister, at a home in Seattle.
Police said that when they arrived at the home on a domestic violence call, both of Solo’s relatives had injuries which witnesses said were caused by Solo during a quarrel. Alcohol was allegedly involved. Solo faces charges of fourth-degree domestic assault over the incident.
Solo’s attorney has reportedly said that she was improperly charged as she didn’t commit a crime. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, and awaits a pretrial hearing next. Sources didn’t indicate whether her attorney offered any further perspective on her not guilty plea.
It isn’t clear whether there are any issues with the investigation in this case, but such issues are not unknown in domestic violence cases. Because of the nature of domestic violence allegations, police take them very seriously. In some cases, police have a department policy to make an arrest regardless of what they find at the scene. Police don’t always have sufficient time to sort out the details of the incident to truly understand what took place or who should properly be considered the primary aggressor.
These issues don’t always get sorted out when they get to prosecutors, and it is important for those accused of domestic violence to work with an experienced attorney in building a strong defense case.
Source: CNN, “Soccer star Hope Solo pleads not guilty to assault charges,” Deborah E. Bloom & Ray Sanchez, June 23, 2014.