Jay Mariotti charged in domestic dispute

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Los Angeles city prosecutors have charged AOL Fanhouse sports columnist Jay Mariotti, a regular panelist on ESPN's Around The Horn, with seven misdemeanors in connection with a domestic disturbance last month involving his girlfriend, officials said Monday.

Charges include two counts of domestic violence with injury, two counts of domestic violence, one count of grand theft, one count of false imprisonment and one count of vandalism.

Mariotti's attorney, Debra Wong Yang, called the allegations "inaccurate and sensationalized."

"We are confident that the facts will show the complainant was extremely intoxicated that night and abusive toward Mr. Mariotti," Yang said.

Mariotti is to be arraigned Friday at the downtown Los Angeles criminal courts building.

Mariotti originally was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic assault. He was released from jail on $50,000 bail. But the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said there was not enough evidence to charge him with a felony.

In the past, he wrote a sports column for the Denver Post and the Chicago Sun-Times.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said, "We have no plans to use him [Mariotti] at this time."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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