Las Vegas Aces guard Riquna Williams was arrested Tuesday in connection to a domestic violence investigation, Las Vegas media outlets reported Wednesday.
Court records showed nine charges filed against Williams, including domestic battery by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon, per a report from a local TV station. Williams was accused of “multiple violent allegations against her spouse,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Glen O’Brien said during Williams’ initial court appearance Wednesday in Las Vegas, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“The court does have concerns regarding the extremely violent nature of the allegations in this case, that they were alleged to have occurred over an extended period of time,” Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe said during the court appearance.
Williams was married in Clark County in September, but her spouse already has moved away from Las Vegas, a defense attorney said per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Williams will not be participating in Aces activities until further notice, the team said in a statement Wednesday:
“As an organization, we condemn domestic violence of any kind. At this time, Riquna Williams will be precluded from participating in team activities. Our thoughts are with the parties involved in this situation. We are currently gathering more information, and as such we will not have any further comments at this time.”
The WNBA previously suspended Williams for 10 games without pay in 2019 for alleged domestic violence. Williams was arrested in April 2019 on charges of burglary and assault stemming from an incident involving an ex-girlfriend, but the charges were dismissed in February 2020.
Williams, 33, was released on her own recognizance, though she will be subject to alcohol monitoring and must participate in mental health counseling, the local NBC station reported. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 2.
The 11-year WNBA veteran has been sidelined through the first two months of the 2023 season with a lower back injury.