SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The calm of a country morning - and a Hummer's windshield - were shattered in rural Loomis Monday in a wild incident that ended with the arrest of Sacramento Kings star Ron Artest on a domestic violence charge.
Monday's allegation - that Artest shoved a woman repeatedly to the floor and then used force to stop her from reporting the crime - led to his being removed indefinitely from the team as the Kings fight for a spot in league playoffs. He will continue to be paid his $7.1 million salary for this year.
Artest was released on $50,000 bail after spending several hours in the Placer County Jail in Auburn. He will be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. March 22 in Placer County Superior Court.
His arrest Monday is the most recent in a series of well-publicized altercations between Artest and the women in his life. Most recently, however, the trouble-prone athlete was in the news after animal control officials rescued a starving dog from his five-acre property last month.
Monday's incident began at 9:23 a.m. when a woman reported domestic violence in a 911 call, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Department. Officials would not identify the caller, saying state law prevents them from identifying victims of domestic violence.
But a neighbor who witnessed part of the altercation told The Sacramento Bee that the incident involved Artest and his wife, Kimsha Artest.
Five deputies arrived to find Artest waiting on the front lawn of his Loomis residence. He was "very calm, cooperative," said Sgt. Andrew Scott, one of the responding deputies. Inside the house, deputies found the woman who called them, along with a 3-year-old child.
The victim was injured but declined medical attention; Scott would not elaborate on the nature of the injuries. The sergeant said Artest had pushed the woman to the floor several times and took the phone from her when she initially tried to call 911.
"We are required to make an arrest if we believe domestic violence occurred - and we did in this case," Scott said.
The Sheriff's Department sought an emergency protective order against Artest, preventing him from returning home or contacting the victim, officials said. She has five business days to request a protective court order.
At some point Monday morning, Scott said, the argument spilled outside. Upon arriving, deputies found Artest's Hummer SUV parked out front with a smashed windshield.
A neighbor who is not being named by The Bee because she witnessed the incident described an emotional and violent scene.
Artest was behind the wheel of his white Hummer when his wife ran from their house, brandishing what looked like a frying pan, the witness said.
"He was in the car," the witness said. "The car was in reverse. He was attempting to get away from her."
Kimsha Artest started hitting the Hummer's windshield with the frying pan, according to the witness. Artest pulled over and the two went back into the house. Five minutes later, Placer County sheriff's deputies arrived at the Artest estate.
Sheriff's officials later confirmed the witness account of how the windshield had been smashed.
This wasn't the first time deputies have been to the home.
Police records show that officers responded to another 911 call to the Artest residence on Nov. 8, and that Artest's wife was the reporting party in that incident. She complained that he had vandalized her property, according to the records, but she said she wanted only to document the event. No charges were filed.
The tables were turned in September 2002, according to The Associated Press. At that time, Artest called Indiana police to complain that Kimsha, then his girlfriend, had battered him.
Two months before, Artest was charged with harassment and criminal contempt for allegedly threatening another girlfriend in New York.
He agreed to weeks of anger-management counseling after that incident.
It was not a human but a malnourished canine named "Socks" that most recently brought Artest unfriendly scrutiny off the basketball court.
Placer County animal control officers seized the black Great Dane from Artest's Loomis home in early February, citing a law requiring animal caretakers to "provide proper sustenance."
In that case Artest could face misdemeanor or felony charges and a fine of up to $20,000.
Socks remains in county custody after being treated by a local veterinarian, said county spokeswoman Anita Yoder. She said an investigation into the case is "wrapping up," with a report being forwarded within days to the district attorney's office for potential prosecution.
Artest attributed the dog's malnutrition to an inattentive dogwatcher and a food-hogging American bulldog, who Artest claimed ate Socks' food.
Also unresolved is his immediate future with the Sacramento Kings.
In a statement, Kings President Geoff Petrie said: "The Kings have excused Ron Artest indefinitely from any further participation with the team due to his arrest today for domestic violence. The Kings will continue to accumulate reliable and official facts and information over the next several days before taking any further action."
In an interview later, Petrie said the team understands the gravity of the situation.
"It's a very serious charge," said Petrie, "and certainly something that we're very concerned with on a lot of fronts.
"I think we made a decision that gives some time ... gives everyone a little breathing room here to make a further assessment. There are a lot of different aspects to this and I don't think it's good to speculate right now."
Following its usual policy, the NBA withheld comment in the immediate aftermath of the arrest and would not speculate on whether the case would lead to a suspension for Artest.
"We're just gathering the information and monitoring the situation right now," said Mark Broussard, the director of basketball communications for the league. "At this point, there's not much more we can say."
No discipline is expected soon, though. If the case is resolved during the offseason and Artest is suspended, the penalty will be served at the start of the 2007-08 regular season.
"We let it run its course through the legal system" before deciding, Broussard said.
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Originally Posted by Jay Edgar
