SF 49er Reuben Foster Arraigned On Domestic Violence Charges

LOS GATOS, CA –San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster left the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose without a word this afternoon following his arraignment on domestic violence and illegal weapon possession charges.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced this morning that Foster had been charged with domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon, all felonies.

The charges come after the 24-year-old allegedly attacked his 28-year-old girlfriend on Feb. 11 during an argument in their Los Gatos home.

The attack left her bruised and ruptured one of her eardrums, prosecutors said.

Foster's girlfriend flagged down a stranger's car driving on Shannon Road so she could call 911. She told responding county sheriff's deputies and Los Gatos police that Foster had dragged her out by her hair,
physically threw her out of the house and punched her in the head 8 to 10 times, according to the district attorney's office.

The victim went to a hospital to be treated for her injuries and was released, prosecutors said.

Foster was taken into custody that day but was released on $75,000 bail. A no-contact order was issued for Foster regarding his girlfriend.

In a search of the couple's home, police found a Sig Sauer 516, an assault rifle, along with its large capacity magazine, prosecutors said.

Because of the accompaniment of the magazine, Foster was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a large capacity magazine.

Foster sat in an aisle seat in a pressed black suit with his hair tied up with a rubber band, rubbing his hands together and staring straight forward before the arraignment began.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Nona Klippen accepted the no-contact order as well as a request from Foster's attorney Josh Bentley to put the matter over until April 30 so that he could review evidence that he had received this morning.

Bentley has also been representing former NFL player Aldon Smith's case, in which he has most recently pleaded not guilty to assault, domestic violence, false imprisonment and vandalism charges in connection to an alleged domestic violence incident at an apartment in San Francisco on March 3.

"While today is the beginning of the prosecution, it is not the beginning of the investigation," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith said. "The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department has been working very hard on this since Feb. 11, along with a number of other agencies in our county."

Smith said the charges were filed to indicate the seriousness of the crimes that were said to have taken place and also to "underscore how seriously we take all domestic violence cases in this county."

Smith said the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office handles between 4,000 and 5,000 cases of domestic violence each year.

"We do not care who the perpetrator is, their status in the community or anything of that nature," Smith said. "We are here to try and get you justice and get you help."

Smith said that whether Foster's girlfriend, being referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, testifies will not impact the district attorney's office's actions in prosecuting him. He said he feels comfortable with the evidence they have.

When asked about the severity of the case and the brutality of the charges, Smith said the charges speak for themselves.

He said he would not go into detail about how Foster allegedly attempted to stop his girlfriend from trying to get help.

The San Francisco 49ers issued a short statement acknowledging the charges this morning.

"The 49ers organization is aware of today's disturbing charges regarding Reuben Foster," the team said. "We will continue to follow this serious matter. Reuben is aware that his place in our organization is under great scrutiny and will depend on what is learned through the legal process."

The maximum sentence Foster could be handed would be 10 years and eight months in state prison, Smith said.

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San Francisco 49er Reuben Foster, 24, was charged today with felony domestic violence stemming from an alleged violent assault in February against his live-in girlfriend, according to officials.

Foster is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. in Department 44 of the Hall of Justice in San Jose, and, if convicted, could face up to 11 years in prison, the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney said.

A linebacker for the football team, Foster is accused of physically attacking the 28-year-old victim during a February 11 argument at their Los Gatos home, that left her bruised and with a ruptured ear drum, the office said.

The woman flagged down a stranger’s car driving on Shannon Road to call 911, and reportedly told responding officers from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police that Foster dragged her by her hair, physically threw her out of the house and punched her in the head eight to 10 times, the DA's office said. She was treated for her injuries and later released from an area hospital.

“Our focus is on holding accountable those who hurt their intimate partners," prosecutor Kevin Smith said. "Our office handles between four and five thousand domestic violence cases each year. We only hope that this case illuminates the tragic regularity of the rest.”

During a search of Foster’s home, officers found a Sig Sauer 516 weapon, along with its large-capacity magazine – both illegal to possess in California, officials said.

Foster faces felony charges of domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of large-capacity weapon magazine, the department said.

Foster played for the Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

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--Bay city News contributed to this report/Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images