Josh Hamilton, a five-time MLB All-Star and 2010 American League MVP, was charged Wednesday with injury to a child after his 14-year-old daughter told his ex-wife he had struck the girl at his Keller, Texas, home.
Hamilton, 38, surrendered Wednesday to the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth and was released in lieu of $35,000 bond. If convicted, he could face a sentence of two to 10 years in prison.
A Keller Police Department detective’s affidavit reveals Hamilton’s daughter told police the incident occurred Sept. 30 when she made a comment to her father that upset him. Following the comment, Hamilton allegedly threw a full bottle overhand at the teen – striking her squarely in the chest – then cursed and shouted at her.
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The incident, according to the affidavit, didn’t end there as she said her father pulled away a chair she had her feet raised up on and threw it, resulting in the chair breaking. The teen was uninjured by the chair.
The incident continued as Hamilton allegedly grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up from the chair she was seated on, causing her to fall to floor, the report said. Hamilton reportedly lifted her up, threw her over his shoulder and carried her to her bedroom.
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The teen said by this time she repeatedly told Hamilton “I’m sorry,” but as they reached her bedroom door, he reportedly threw her on the bed and pressed her face into the mattress before hitting her legs with an open hand and closed fist.
Josh Hamilton, a five-time MLB All Star and 2010 American League MVP, was charged Wednesday with injury to a child after his 14-year-old daughter told his ex-wife he had struck her at his Keller, Texas home. (USA Today Sports)
The alleged incident didn’t end there, as Hamilton’s daughter said after he finished striking her, he told her, “I hope you go in front of the f—ing judge and tell him what a terrible dad I am so I don’t have to see you anymore and you don’t have to come to my house again.”
As he left the room, he told her to gather her things for school. When she said she had already put them in the car, he responded, “Well, aren’t you just the perfect child.”
A report in The Dallas Morning News reported Hamilton’s ex-wife Katie Hamilton, the mother of the teen, had sought a protective order for the girl against Hamilton earlier this month.
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Hamilton has an unlisted telephone number and couldn’t be reached for comment. It was unclear if he has an attorney.
Hamilton played for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels between 2007 and 2015. This summer, he was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
In a statement, the team said, “The Texas Rangers take the issue of family violence very seriously. We are aware of the situation involving Josh Hamilton. Since this is an ongoing legal matter, we have no further comment.”
Hamilton’s career began with high expectations as he was the first overall pick out of high school in the 1999 amateur draft by Tampa Bay. However, what started with so much promise was sidetracked by cocaine and alcohol addiction. He returned to baseball with Cincinnati and made his big-league debut in 2007, when he hit 19 homers in 90 games before being traded to the Rangers, where he was part of their only two World Series teams (2010 and 2011) and an All-Star five seasons in a row.
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Prior to the 2013 season, Hamilton left the Rangers in free agency, signing a $125 million, five-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He was recovering from shoulder surgery when the Angels traded him back to Texas in 2015 after his two injury-plagued seasons with Los Angeles. He played 50 games for Texas in 2015, but never again after surgery on his left knee at least three times after that.
