Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer's arrest yesterday on a slew of domestic violence charges steams from a pair of incidents in July, police said, that allegedly involved Dwyer assaulting his wife and 18-month-old son then threatening to harm himself if she called the cops.


Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump told the media that police were first called to the Dwyers' home on July 21 after neighbors called to report a disturbance.

Update: Police records contain more detail:

Police records indicate the incident began at about 8 a.m. on July 21 when Dwyer and his wife got into a verbal argument. Police say Dwyer tried to kiss his wife and remove her clothing. The woman told Dwyer to stop several times, police say, and bit his lip when he wouldn't. Investigators say Dwyer then head-butted his wife, fracturing her nose.


Dwyer's wife answered the door and told officers that Dwyer was not there and the argument had been over the phone. In fact, Crump said, Dwyer's wife suffered a broken bone in the incident and investigators now believe that Dwyer was hiding in the bathroom when police responded.

Dwyer and the woman got into another argument a day later, on July 22, and police believe he took the woman's cellphone and threw it from the second floor of their home, Crump said. Police believe that Dwyer, during the second incident, also took a shoe and threw it toward their 1-year-old child. Investigators said Dwyer threatened to harm himself on the night the incident occurred in an attempt to keep the woman from contacting police, Crump said.

Dwyer's wife did not report the incidents to police until Sept. 11, and police wouldn't say if it was related to last week's Ray Rice controversy. But as we've already seen, the publicizing of domestic violence as an issue does cause more women to report abuse.

Investigators have spent the last few days reviewing medical records, talking to witnesses including neighbors, and yesterday arrested Dwyer at the Cardinals' training facility. He spent the night in jail before being released early this morning on $25,000 bond.


Dwyer is charged with one count of aggravated assault causing a fracture, one count of aggravated assault involving a minor, one count of assault, two counts of criminal damage, and one count of preventing the use of a phone in an emergency.

Via the Phoenix New Times, here are the court documents released today: