Hornets Rumors

Roderick Boone and Evan Moore of The Charlotte Observer and Baxter Holmes of ESPN have obtained copies of the criminal summons that was issued on Wednesday for Hornets forward Miles Bridges. Both outlets have also obtained copies of the accompanying police report related to the summons.

As Holmes previously wrote, the summons is for violating a domestic violence protective order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property. While the incident was initially believed to have occurred a couple days ago, it actually occurred on October 6 but wasn’t fully reported until Tuesday.

On Oct. 6 around 9 p.m., during a custody exchange at Bridges’ residence in Charlotte, the 25-year-old allegedly threw billiard balls at his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle while their two children were inside it, which smashed the windshield and dented her car. The summons also states that Bridges threatened his former girlfriend, saying that if she called the police “he would take everything from her and withhold child support,” per ESPN.

Bridges is also accused of allowing his current girlfriend to “yell, scream and kick the victim’s car while the children were inside it,” Holmes writes. It’s unclear if his ex-girlfriend was inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Bridges is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Nov. 13 at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, according to the summons.

An unserved arrest warrant is still out for Bridges for allegedly violating the protective order during a prior incident at the victim’s residence on January 2, according to Boone and Moore. A public copy of the warrant is not yet available since it hasn’t been served.

The Hornets spokesperson gave a brief statement to the media on Wednesday night: “We are aware of the reports and are in the process of gathering more information.”

The warrant and summons are related to Bridges’ domestic violence case from last year.

He was originally facing three felony charges after being accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children, but last November entered a plea of no contest — accepting punishment without formally admitting guilt — to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent. He received three years probation and no jail time as part of the plea deal.

Bridges also has to adhere to a 10-year criminal protective order for the victim as part of the plea agreement. The protective order stipulates that Bridges must stay 100-plus yards away from and have no communication with his former girlfriend.

Bridges is ineligible to compete in preseason games and is suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023/24 season following an NBA investigation into the original domestic violence incident. He missed all of last season while his legal case played out, eventually signing his one-year, $7.92MM qualifying offer as a restricted free agent in July.

8:40pm: The summons is for violating a domestic violence protective order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property, all of which allegedly occurred on Tuesday, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. A Hornets spokesperson responded to the reports by stating the team is “in the process of gathering more information.”

6:40pm: An arrest warrant and criminal summons have been issued for Hornets forward Miles Bridges, report Jessica Allen and Glenn Counts of wsoctv.com.

The warrant and summons are related to Bridges’ domestic violence case from last year. He was originally facing three felony charges, but last November entered a plea of no contest to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent. He received three years probation and no jail time as part of the plea deal.

Another stipulation of the agreement is that Bridges has to adhere to a 10-year criminal protective order for the victim, his former girlfriend, with whom he has multiple children. He was also ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and parenting classes in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.

The warrant dates back to January for violating the protective order, which stipulates that Bridges must stay 100-plus yards away from and have no communication with his ex-girlfriend. They’re currently in a custody battle, according to Allen and Counts.

The summons was issued Wednesday and involves a second violation of the protective order, with Bridges allegedly showing up at the woman’s residence and smashing her windshield.

To this point, the Mecklenberg County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina has been unable to serve the warrant, per Allen and Counts.

WSOC-TV reached out to Bridges’ attorneys and the Hornets for comment but have yet to hear back.

The 25-year-old was on the precipice of signing a massive contract in June 2022 when the abominable behavior he was accused of allegedly occurred in Los Angeles. These latest alleged incidents will be more strikes against Bridges as he attempts to resurrect his NBA career.

Bridges is ineligible to compete in preseason games and is suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023/24 season following an NBA investigation into the original domestic violence incident. He missed all of last season while his legal case played out, eventually signing his one-year, $7.92MM qualifying offer as a restricted free agent in July. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.