On April 15, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon shared that former WNBA player Shoni Schimmel was arrested on the grounds of two assaults charges over an alleged incident that happened between her and an intimate partner last June.
The basketball player appeared in federal court on Friday and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment states the alleged assault happened on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon on June 13, 2021.
Schimmel’s initial arrest in connection to the incident happened on June 14, 2021, according to ESPN.
The case’s investigation was conducted by the Umatilla Tribal Police Department and the FBI — “which has federal law enforcement responsibility on nearly 200 Indian reservations in the United States — the sports news outlet further detailed.
The basketball player faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine if she’s convicted.
Prosecutors claim Schimmel strangled and assaulted her partner, which caused “substantial bodily harm,” according to KATU2 ABC.
Various reports have referred to the unidentified alleged victim as Schimmel’s former partner, although ESPN described them as an “intimate dating partner” of the basketball player.
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Schimmel was raised on the Umatilla Reservation and featured in 2011’s Off the Rez, a documentary film about her family and basketball career.
The athlete played for Louisville from 2010-2014 while in college.
She was the eighth pick by the Atlanta Dream in the 2014 WNBA draft and she played in two All-Star Games with the team.
Her time as a WBNA player later continued with New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces, respectfully.
Her trial is reportedly scheduled to start in June.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Cadotte is prosecuting the case against the athlete, Oregon Live reports.
To learn more about intimate partner violence in the Black community via the National Domestic Violence Hotline, click here.
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