Report: Sonnen charges dropped in hotel assault allegation
Chael Sonnen received some good news on Wednesday regarding the charges he faces for his role in an alleged assault at a Las Vegas hotel last December.
According to a report from Las Vegas Review Magazine, prosecutors have brought a felony charge against the UFC veteran, who allegedly assaulted multiple people in the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas on December 18. Justice of the Las Vegas Peace Joe Bonaventure allowed the prosecution to file an amended criminal complaint against Sonnen, which reduced his charge to six misdemeanors. Sonnen initially faced 11 charges – including one for felony strangulation – when prosecutors filed charges earlier this month.
Last week, Christopher and Julie Stellpflug File a lawsuit against Sonnen, alleging that the former boxer assaulted them in the hallways of the Four Seasons “without provocation.” Sonnen initially faced five petty battery charges for intermingling with five different people, but those were “dismissed without prejudice by the court.”
Sonnen attorney Dayvid Figler then asked the district attorney’s office to review the case after new charges were filed last week.
“I believe that is exactly what happened, and they realized that the more appropriate way to proceed was to resolve this revised complaint,” Figler told the Review-Journal.
The felony charge against Sonnen is due to the UFC veteran who allegedly placed Christopher Stellpflug in suffocation during the incident. According to the Review-Journal, both Stellpflugs are currently recovering from concussions during the alleged attack. Sonnen is also accused of assaulting another hotel guest and multiple security guards during the incident.
Stellpflugs’ attorney, Kory Kaplan, said the couple objected to Sonnen’s pardon.
“After the charges were filed, they were contacted by an associate district attorney, who confirmed that the felony charges were appropriate,” Kaplan said during a hearing.
Sonnen fought one last time at Bellator 222, where he fell Lyoto Machida passed the second round TKO on June 14, 2019. He was competing in MMA 31-17-1 and was challenged for middle and light heavyweight gold in a memorable UFC event. Sonnen is currently an analyst for ESPN and runs his own grappling advertising program, Submission Underground. He also recently served as a commentator for the Eagle FC promotion.