Dodgers pitcher Bauer won't be charged over assault claims
Dodgers pitcher Bauer won't be charged over assault claims
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not face criminal charges over assault allegations which forced him to miss the second half of the 2021 season, prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.
"After a thorough review of all the available evidence... the people are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said in an evaluation of the charges.
Bauer, 31, has not played since being placed on leave from Major League Baseball in July last year after the assault allegations emerged.
A 27-year-old woman accused Bauer of punching her and choking her unconscious during separate sexual encounters in April and May 2021.
Bauer denied any wrongdoing, with his attorney and representatives saying all the encounters were entirely consensual.
The pitcher's accuser had obtained a restraining order against the 2020 Cy Young Award winner in June last year, but a judge refused a request to extend the order in August.
Although Bauer will not now face criminal prosecution, he could yet be hit with a suspension from MLB chief Rob Manfred if he is found to have violated domestic violence rules.
The Dodgers signed Bauer last year on a three-year deal worth $102 million following the pitcher's departure from the Cincinnati Reds.
(P.Toussaint--LPdF)
