Charlie A. Lowell, a Miami, Florida Marlins little league baseball player, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend following a verbal argument, news sources report. Lowell, 22, was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of battery by strangulation. He was later released on his own recognizance. It is not yet known whether Lowell has retained a defense lawyer.
According to reports, Lowell is a left-handed pitcher who plays for the Marlins little league baseball team. The Marlins team drafted Lowell out of the Wichita State University in the sixth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. It is unclear how Lowell's arrest will affect his position with the league. The Marlins do not appear to have issued a statement regarding the arrest.
Reports say Lowell and his girlfriend have been together for three years and have shared a home for two years. The incident began around 5:30 Saturday morning, when Lowell went through his girlfriend's text messages and allegedly discovered she had a relationship with another man. Lowell confronted the girlfriend and the two engaged in a verbal argument.
The argument reportedly became physical. Lowell allegedly pushed his girlfriend up against the wall, slapped her, and began to strangle her. The victim says Lowell began to call her offensive names, shoved her onto a bed, and tossed clothes at her. As the argument continued, Lowell allegedly grabbed the woman's arm, dragged her down the home's stairs, and threw her, her clothes, and her cellphone out the front door. Reports say the cellphone smashed against the ground, rendering the girlfriend incapable of calling the police.
The girlfriend used her key and went back inside the home to call police. Detectives arrived on the scene and spoke with Lowell, who admitted to slapping the victim, dragging her down the stairs, and throwing her and her clothes out of the house. Lowell said he was "very upset" about the purported affair and "wasn't thinking clearly" during the assault. Detectives reportedly found inflammation on the victim's neck and right cheek and scratches on her chest and left wrist.
In other news, police in Broward County say a woman walked into the county police station with a hand grenade. It is unclear whether the woman was arrested. No one was injured in the incident. Police are currently conducting an investigation and say they do not known if the grenade is live.