Thieneman convicted of wanton endangerment

Developer and unsuccessful political candidate Chris Thieneman was convicted Wednesday of wanton endangerment in connection with a 2013 altercation involving an ex-girlfriend.

Thieneman, who has run for mayor, Congress and the state Senate, was fined $500 on the charge, a misdemeanor, after his conviction in Jefferson District Court. He was acquitted of misdemeanor assault.

The case was tried over two days before Judge Amber Wolf, who set sentencing for May 20.

Thieneman, 50, was charged in September 2013 in connection with an incident in which he allegedly struggled over a cell phone with April Smith, then tried to strangle her, according to a citation.

The report says that during an argument while she was driving and he was a passenger, he got out of the car near North Ewing Avenue and started walking down the street with her phone. Thieneman later allegedly pushed his way into her business and put his arm around her neck and tried to strangle her, the citation said.

Thieneman was arrested the next year and charged with violating a domestic violence order and retaliating against a participant in a legal process. Those charges are still pending, according to Jessie Halladay, a spokeswoman for the county attorney's office.

Thieneman's lawyer, Steve Pence, said his client was relieved to have been acquitted on the more serious charged and that the jury did not find him guilty of any intentional conduct.

Thieneman played football for the University of Louisville and later in the World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League before taking over his family real estate business, then starting his own development company.

In his most recent of many political races, running as a Republican, he was defeated by incumbent Democrat Perry Clark in 2012 in a state Senate race.

He previously ran for Jefferson County Clerk in 2002, U.S. Congress in 2008 and Louisville mayor in 2010.

In the congressional race, he faced U.S. Rep. Anne Northup in the GOP primary before dropping out and angrily accusing GOP leaders — including Northup and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell — of conspiring against him.

Thieneman also led a drive in 2007 to defeat a local occupational tax increase that would have benefited the public library system.

Reporter Andrew Wolfson can be reached at 502-582-7189 or awolfson@courier-journal.com