WHAS11 – University of Louisville basketball player Preston Knowles will not face charges after a fight with his girlfriend's stepfather because of a lack of evidence, and the family didn't want to press charges. John Cook, the family’s attorney, says that the family never intended to press charged, but feared for their safety.
Photos show black eyes and bruises on Preston Knowles' girlfriend’s stepfather, which the family says are injuries caused by the U of L basketball player during a family barbeque. However, the family's attorney spoke out on June 11th saying that the family doesn't want Knowles to be charged. The family contacted the media and police because they were scared of retaliation, Cook said, “During the heat of the moment there was some things said that caused some concern.” Cook didn’t elaborate on exactly what that means.
The decision to drop the charges was not all up to the family. Bullitt County Detective Scott McGaha says the police department decided not to charge Preston Knowles after hours of interviews with Knowles, his girlfriend’s family, and a key witness, which is a man that lives close to where the incident occurred in the Miller's Crossing neighborhood. The man told WHAS11 News he saw Knowles' girlfriend hitting Knowles, and then the stepfather came up to Knowles. The stepfather started swinging at the basketball player and Knowles fought back.
Bullitt County Detective Scott McGaha says there was a lot of he said, she said in the case, and there wasn't enough evidence to support a criminal charge against Knowles.
However, Cook did say that while the family does not want to damage Knowles’ career, they may explore other options, like seeking civil damages.
