Charging the weather. . . .
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Houston Rockets goalkeeper Kevin Porter Jr. has reached a plea deal in a New York City domestic violence case that will keep him out of prison if he completes a court-ordered reparations program and stays out of trouble.
Porter, 23, pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor assault and a harassment violation in connection with an incident last September at a Manhattan hotel. Prosecutors have said Porter attacked his girlfriend, leaving her covered in blood with a deep cut above her right eye. She has since denied that, accusing prosecutors of pushing a “false narrative.”
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Under the agreement, Porter must complete a 26-week Abusive Partner Intervention Program or equivalent program with a personal counselor. He must also comply with a limited policy order, attend all hearings and not be subject to any further arrest.
If Porter complies, he can withdraw his assault statement in a year and then be sentenced to prison on the non-criminal harassment charge, prosecutors said, erasing his criminal record.
“The settlement will allow Mr. Porter to bring forward this incident, which involves false allegations and false facts, with no criminal history and move forward,” Porter’s attorneys, Phillip Jobe and Stephanie Kelemen, said in a statement.
Porter has not played since his arrest and is no longer on an NBA roster. The Rockets traded him in October to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which immediately cut him.
Porter was arrested Sept. 11 after police say his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, told them he repeatedly punched her in the face with a closed fist, causing an inches-long gash above the right eye, bruising and substantial pain to her face.
Police said Gondrezick also alleged that Porter put his hands around her neck and choked her, causing her to breathe, redness, bruising on her neck and loss of movement in her left arm.
Gondrezick disputed that account, saying his injuries “don’t correspond to any of the claims. “He said prosecutors were slow to correct the “false information,” pointing to the indictment since dropped on Porter’s original charges that he fractured his cervical vertebra.
Annotated messages were left with Gondrezick’s attorney and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Gondrezick told the New York Post in October that she and Porter had argued “not even 10 seconds” in her room at the Millennium Hilton, near the United Nations. She told TMZ in November that her injuries were the result of a fall and a blow to the head when Porter woke her up with a shove as she returned to the bedroom after a night out.
“He didn’t hit me. He never raised his fists to hit me,” Gondrezick told the Post. “And he didn’t punch me in the face repeatedly. That’s a lie. I don’t have any wounds to suffer this. “
Porter and Gondrezick dated in February 2022, according to an anniversary message she posted on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. She told TMZ that the way the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office handled the case “made my trauma even worse than the actual experience. “
Last season, Porter averaged 19. 2 points, 5. 3 rebounds and 5. 7 assists per game, giving him a lucrative four-year extension with Houston.
In November 2020, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Porter was arrested after police said they discovered a loaded handgun and marijuana in his car following a car accident. Porter claimed he didn’t know the gun was there and the charges were eventually dismissed.
A 2019 first-round draft pick from the University of Southern California, Porter was traded from Cleveland to Houston a few months later after he reportedly blew up at the Cavaliers’ general manager after finding out that his locker had been moved to make room for a newly acquired player.
In April 2021, the NBA fined Porter $50,000 for violating the league’s COVID-19 health and safety rules by visiting a Miami strip club. In January 2022, the Rockets suspended Porter for a game after then-coach Stephen Silas said the player had a “spirited debate” and “lost his temper” at halftime.
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