The Seattle Times has reported that Hope Solo, the U.S. women's soccer and Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper, has pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges lodged against her by her nephew and half sister.
Solo, 32, entered her plea in Kirkland Municipal Court on June 23. The city prosecutors had asked Judge Michael J. Lambo to set her bail at $5,000 and enact a non-contact order between Solo and the alleged two victims.
However, Judge Lambo made the decision to release Solo based on her own recognizance. Solo's attorney had noted for the judge that his client had no prior arrests and was not a flight risk. The pretrial hearing is set for August 11. Judge Lambo also ordered Solo to refrain from consuming alcohol.
According to charging documents, police received a 911 call from an unidentified male about a disturbance in a home on Avenue Northeast. The caller reported that a female in the home was hitting people. He said that they had tried to get her to stop the attacks and leave the house, but were unsuccessful.
When officers arrived they could hear the disturbance before entering the home. Once inside, officers encountered several people, including a visibly intoxicated Solo.
According to Solo's 17 year-old nephew, the family had just reestablished contact with Solo. Officers noted that the teen's shirt was torn, there were scratches on his arms and his ear was bloodied from being cut.
The teen said that his aunt had come into his family home "upset about the fact that her husband refused to take her to catch a flight because he was being a jerk." Solo arrived drunk, according to the teen, and then proceeded to drink wine with his mother.
The teen had been talking about acting in theatrical productions and how a good actor must have an "athletic state of mind." Solo responded to this by telling the teen he was "too fat and overweight and crazy to ever be an athlete" which resulted in a fist fight between the two.
According to court records, the teen's mother tried to break up the fight by attempting to pull Solo away from her son, and Solo punched her in the face. The teen hit Solo over the head with a broom and pointed a broken BB gun at her to try and make her leave the home. Solo was arrested and charged with two counts of investigation of fourth-degree domestic-violence assault. She was booked into the South King County detention facility.
In an e-mail Maybrown wrote, "Hope is not guilty of any crime. In fact, our investigation reveals that Hope was assaulted and injured during this unfortunate incident. We look forward to the opportunity to present the true facts in court and to having this matter behind Hope very soon."