Riquna Williams of the Las Vegas Aces has been barred from all team activities following her arrest on felony domestic violence charges. The 33-year-old WNBA veteran guard has yet to play this season due to a back injury but was arrested on Tuesday. She was a member of last year’s championship team and averaged 6.7 points in 18 minutes per game off the bench.
What Happened?
A Las Vegas judge allowed Williams to be released from jail without bail less than 24 hours after her arrest. Police responded to a call on Tuesday around noon local time at a home in Southern Highlands enclave, which is south of the Las Vegas Strip, in answering a complaint that a woman attacked a victim that was her spouse.
It is not clear if the spouse was injured or required medical attention as of right now. Williams was charged with multiple counts of domestic battery by strangulation, coercion with the threat or use of physical force and assault with use of a weapon, according to court records. She also was charged with four misdemeanor domestic battery charges.
Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe added that the charges are from acts that police said “occurred over an extended period of time” and not just one isolated incident.
Williams may not have any contact with her alleged victim and must comply with alcohol monitoring as part of the conditions agreed upon by her public defender, Ryan Bashor. He stated that the victim has already moved out of the home.
Time Away
The Las Vegas Aces released the following statement in part:
“As an organization, we condemn domestic violence of any kind. At this time, Riquna Williams will be precluded from participating in team activities. Our thoughts are with the parties involved in this situation. We are currently gathering more information, and as such we will not have further comments at this time.”
As for Williams, this not the first time she has been involved in a domestic violence incident. ,In 2019, she was suspended for 10 games by the WNBA without pay following an arrest on domestic-battery charges while she was a member of the Los Angeles Sparks.
She will appear in court again on August 2.
