Seahawks LB Leroy Hill avoids trial, agrees to court stipulations in domestic violence case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill will have a domestic violence charge dismissed if he complies with Issaquah Municipal Court stipulations for 18 months.
Prosecutor Lynn Moberly told The Associated Press on Wednesday night the 27-year-old Hill entered into a stipulated order of continuance at a hearing earlier in the day. That avoids a trial that could have started this month on a misdemeanor count of fourth degree assault/domestic violence arising from an April arrest at his suburban Seattle home.
In a telephone interview, Moberly says the five-year starter for the Seahawks will be on what is essentially probation for 18 months and must complete a one-year state-certified domestic violence treatment program — 26 weeks of weekly therapy and counseling, then monthly sessions for six months — plus 25 hours of community service. He is also to have no other criminal law violations and possess no weapons during the period.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The only contact he is allowed with his alleged victim is on the telephone, pending his progress in the domestic violence treatment program and a judge's subsequent review of that limited-contact order.
"I felt like I treated Mr. Hill like any other domestic violence offender," said Moberly, who has specialized in domestic-violence cases for her county. "The most important thing in looking for accountability is getting him in domestic violence treatment.
"It's a common resolution for offenders who don't have prior convictions for domestic violence. Not only that, I had to factor in a victim who was minimizing the incident, retracting statements and generally not cooperating ... evading me personally.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"It's frustrating."
The NFL has suspended Hill for Seattle's opener Sept. 12 against San Francisco for a marijuana-possession charge in Georgia. He began 12 months of probation for that in April, and the solicitor-general in Douglas County, Ga., has said he was waiting to see how Hill's case in Washington ended up before deciding whether to ask a judge there to revoke that probation.
The league could suspend Hill separately in the domestic-violence case. An NFL spokesman has said the league has been following Hill's latest case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Hill has been sidelined for the past week with a sprained knee.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects injury to sprained knee, not ankle, in final paragraph.)