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Situation Goes From Bad to Worse for Embattled Former ESPN Star; New Felony Charges Filed

May 12, 2011  •  Post A Comment

A former ESPN sports personality has been hit with three felony charges in an ongoing hassle that first surfaced last summer when he allegedly had an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Jay Mariotti was a popular ESPN star on "Around the Horn," but he has been below the radar since the incident last year that resulted in his arrest and an eventual plea on a domestic violence charge.

The latest development is that on April 15, the same day he was ordered by a court to stay away from his ex-girlfriend, he allegedly confronted her outside a Venice, Calif., restaurant, shouting at her, grabbing her cellphone and pulling out a chunk of her hair.

He has been charged with stalking, domestic violence and assault in the latest incident–all felonies. He was also hit with two misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order. The charges are separate from any charges he faced in connection with the incident last year.

On Wednesday, Mariotti pleaded not guilty to the latest charges. He has been ordered to appear before L.A. Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz on June 1.

In the case last year, Mariotti copped a plea to avoid jail time. He pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of domestic violence and received three years’ probation and 40 days of community service, as well as a 52-week domestic violence course. Six other counts against him, for domestic violence, false imprisonment and grand theft, were dismissed.

Mariotti has never returned to ESPN in any capacity.

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