Current:Home > FinanceCharges dropped, Riquna Williams wants to rejoin Las Vegas Aces after domestic violence arrest -WealthSphere Pro
Charges dropped, Riquna Williams wants to rejoin Las Vegas Aces after domestic violence arrest
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:55:25
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Criminal charges were dropped Thursday against Las Vegas Aces player Riquna Williams after the alleged victim in a July domestic violence incident at their home stopped cooperating with prosecutors ahead of a preliminary hearing to determine if the case should go to trial.
Williams’ attorney, Brandon Albright, told reporters that Williams hopes to rejoin the team for WNBA playoffs that begin next week. Williams did not speak in court and declined outside court to comment.
“It’s our hope that in short order she’ll be able to join her team,” Albright said.
The 33-year-old shooting guard nicknamed “Bay Bay” was a key member of last year’s Aces championship run. But she hasn’t played this season because of a back injury. She is on the roster but was barred from the team following her arrest.
Outside the courtroom, Albright said Williams was “cleared physically to be on the court, and this case was the final hurdle to allow her to rejoin her teammates.” Albright also said Williams was continuing treatment for “a mental health disorder,” but he cited privacy rights and declined to specify any diagnosis.
Aces officials did not immediately respond to telephone and text messages about Williams’ status. The team is 32-6, atop the Western Division and playoff-bound with two games to play before the regular season ends Sunday.
Deputy Clark County District Attorney Taylor Reeves told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Wilson that prosecutors became unable to reach Williams’ wife, who moved to Florida after Williams’ arrest on July 25. Police said the two argued about breaking up after about four years together. They married last September.
“She stopped responding to our office,” Reeves told the judge.
Wilson accepted Albright’s assurance that Williams had no contact with the woman, which would have violated a court order.
The judge dismissed five felony charges, including domestic battery by strangulation, coercion by force and assault with a weapon, and four misdemeanor domestic battery allegations. She also released Williams from home detention and GPS monitoring, and lifted bans on travel and alcohol use.
Reeves told Wilson she served notice to Albright that the case could be taken to a grand jury. Albright told reporters that an indictment was unlikely with a victim unwilling to cooperate.
Williams played for the University of Miami before she was drafted into the WNBA in 2012 by the Tulsa Shock. She also has played professionally overseas.
She served a 10-game league suspension in 2019 after an arrest on domestic-battery charges. She was playing for the Los Angeles Sparks at the time.
____
Associated Press sports writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Conservative groups are pushing to clean voter rolls. Others see an effort to sow election distrust
- When is Wimbledon women's final? Date, time, TV for Jasmine Paolini vs. Barbora Krejcikova
- Just as the temperature climbs, Texas towns are closing public pools to cut costs
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- How much do the winners of Wimbledon get in prize money?
- Idris Elba meets with King Charles III to discuss UK youth violence: See photos
- HGTV Star Christina Hall Reveals the Secret of Her Strong Marriage to Josh Hall
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- NBA Summer League highlights: How Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Reed Sheppard did
Ranking
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- ‘Hot girl summer,’ move aside. Women are going ‘boysober’ and have never felt better.
- Idris Elba meets with King Charles III to discuss UK youth violence: See photos
- Pecans are a good snack, ingredient – but not great for this
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- One woman escaped a ‘dungeon’ beneath a Missouri home, another was killed. Here’s a look at the case
- 1 dead, 2 missing after tour helicopter crashes off Hawaiian coast
- 'America's Sweethearts': Why we can't look away from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders docuseries
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Little Mix's Perrie Edwards Reveals She and Jesy Nelson Don't Speak Anymore
Layered Necklaces Are The Internet's Latest Obsession — Here's How To Create Your Own Unique Stack
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2024: Shop Activewear Deals from Beyond Yoga, adidas, SPANX & More
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Just a Category 1 hurricane? Don’t be fooled by a number — It could be more devastating than a Cat 5
Biden, Jeffries meet as some House Democrats call on him to leave 2024 campaign
Poland’s centrist government suffers defeat in vote on liberalizing abortion law