By: Stefany Olivas, Staff Reporter
A networking major, who asked to be known as “Tina” said she does not feel that her husband, Radiology major, who asked to be known as “Dan”, battered her, but that APD and the district attorney’s office charged him anyway. On March 12, Dan was drinking and playing video games when he and Tina began to argue, he said.
“Alcohol does weird stuff, and I was being impatient which led to the fight,” said Dan.
The argument escalated and Dan hit the fridge. Tina tried to prevent him from breaking it, so he pushed her aside, which caused her to fall, said Tina. She said that that was when she called the police.
“I just wanted them to take him to sober up, not to arrest him,” said Tina.
Tina is from Iraq and has been in the U.S. for 18 months, she said. In Iraq, if someone drinks too much and gets out of control the police will take them away to sober up, and then return them home, said Tina. The offending party can also be fined 10 dinars – one U.S. cent, said Tina.
After the altercation, Dan decided to go to bed and sleep off the alcohol, only to be woken up by the police, who arrested him, he said.
Dan also said that when the police were taking him away, Tina was pleading with them to not arrest him.
Even though Tina was insistent on not pressing charges and denied signing a statement, the police said it was now up to the district attorney’s office, who charged him with battery and placed a restraining order on him.
During his arraignment, both his attorney and the district attorney tried to lift the no contact order which was denied by the judge, since neither he nor Tina were in counseling.
The district attorney and her husband’s lawyer asked if she felt threatened by Dan and she said no, she wanted him back home, but the judge didn’t care, said Tina.
Dan’s friends have been supportive giving helpful advice that would help his case, he said.
He has not been given a court date for the case but is now in counseling and is taking the steps to get past the incident and looking forward to it all being over.
Dan said he and his lawyer are trying to have an emergency court date to lift the no-contact order so he can start getting his life back together.
