Report: Michael Bennett's Injury to Elderly Felony Charge Dismissed
Harris County (Texas) prosecutors dismissed a third-degree felony charge against Patriots defensive end Michael Bennett, according to The Houston Chronicle.
"After looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," Vivian King, chief of staff for District Attorney Kim Ogg, said in a statement, per the Chronicle. "There was probable cause to warrant a charge initially, but after a careful review of all the pre-charge and post-charge evidence, we cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt."
Bennett and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, were not available to the Chronicle to comment on the dropped charges.
A spokesperson for the district attorney's office told the newspaper that they decided to dismiss the charges against Bennett after reviewing additional evidence. The evidence included video taken by the NFL and "its associates" as Bennett and his family approached the field at Super Bowl LI in Houston in 2017 after the game. It was alleged that Bennett injured a 66-year-old paraplegic guard who was controlling access to the field.
Bennett was indicted last year on a felony charge of injury to the elderly. He was accused of injuring the guard and pushing through security personnel to reach the field. Bennett was in the crowd that day to watch his younger brother Martellus, a tight end who played for New England at the time.
The Patriots acquired the older Bennett brother in a trade with the Eagles last month. Martellus retired from the NFL in 2018 after New England released him.
