No charges filed against Padilla
No charges will be filed against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla following a complaint that he slapped a woman early Saturday morning at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver.
Police responded to the hotel at 3:51am local time after a woman called alleging domestic violence took place at the hotel, Denver Police Detective Leslie Branch-Wise said. Police would not disclose the contents of the victim’s statement.
David Lane, a criminal defense attorney in Denver representing Padilla, said the woman, described as a friend who had flown in from out-of-state, called police alleging that Padilla had slapped her around 3 a.m., but later recanted her story.
Lane said the two had been to a club earlier that evening and also had a verbal altercation at the hotel over allegations that Padilla disrespected the woman.
“I think she was a bit upset about some female attention Mr. Padilla was getting at a club,” Lane said.
Branch-Wise said police conducted interviews of involved parties and those in the surrounding area and determined that there was no evidence that a crime occurred.
“We will not be charging Mr. Padilla at this time nor are we looking to charge Mr. Padilla in the future,” she said.
Padilla, 32, was in town with his teammates for a series against the Colorado Rockies despite being on the disabled list since April 23 for a sore right forearm, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The newspaper reported that the Nicaragua native had signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in August and was re-signed in the off season for a year in a $5.025 million deal.