NBA free agent Kevin Porter Jr. was back in a Manhattan court on Monday, where New York City prosecutors offered him a plea deal that could help him avoid jail time after being arrested in September on allegations that he hit and strangled his girlfriend.
Details of the ‘plea’ offer
‘At today’s appearance, The People made the following offer on the record: if he pleads guilty to Assault in the Third Degree (a misdemeanor) and completes Abusive Partner Intervention Programming (APIP) or equivalent programming, and abides by the temporary order of protection, he would be able to re-plead to Harassment in the Second Degree (a violation), with a final limited order of protection,’ read the statement.
Harassment in the second degree is punishable in New York State by up to 15 days in jail, but often results in a ‘times served’ sentence.
A DA’s office spokeswoman has confirmed that Porter can avoid jail by accepting the plea deal and following the terms of the agreement.
Porter’s next court date is January 16.
Why was Kevin Porter released?
The former Houston Rockets guard was arrested on September 11 in mid-town Manhattan on allegations that he strangled and repeatedly punched Kysre Gondrezick, a former WNBA player and his now-ex-girlfriend.
Prosecutors claim that Gondrezick told officers that Porter hit her with a closed fist, causing her to suffer a gash above her right eye.
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Subsequent reports claimed he broke a vertebrae in her neck, but that has since been revealed to be a genetic defect and not an injury.
Because of that, Manhattan prosecutors previously dropped the second-degree assault charge against Porter, who now only faces counts of third-degree assault and second-degree strangulation.
Victim impact statement
Porter Jr.’s now-ex-girlfriend has downplayed the alleged September 11 attack that led to his arrest, subsequent trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder and his release.
‘He never balled his fists up and hit me,’ Gondrezick told the New York Post in October.
‘And he definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times. That is a lie. I don’t have any injuries to support that.’
The alleged attack is said to have ended with Gondrezick fleeing the room and being discovered bloodied and bruised by hotel employees, according to prosecutors.
The two have not been in contact since the incident due to a protective order, which was lifted Monday.
