KaVontae Turpin dismissed after multiple domestic violence allegations
UPDATE: TCU has admitted that the football staff didn't contact the Las Cruces police department or the court regarding the charges against KaVontae Turpin, which is why the coaches didn't know about the battery charge from March or his bench warrant in New Mexico.
The school says the staff reviewed information on a commercial web site that provides arrest records, but that site didn't have all the information regarding Turpin's arrest.
“The football staff reviewed a commercial website that provides arrest records, but that account was incomplete," the school said in a statement to the Star-Telegram's Drew Davison. "Our team did not do enough to get the full story. We would not have allowed Turpin to play had we known about an outstanding arrest warrant.”
UPDATE: TCU has dismissed receiver KaVontae Turpin from the football team following the news that he was previously arrested and charged with battery in March following an incident involving his girlfriend.
Gary Patterson announced Turpin's dismissal Tuesday during his weekly press conference. He said the coaches knew Turpin had been involved in some legal incident in March, but that they only knew of a property damage charge against him. He said no one knew about a domestic violence allegation or Turpin's missed court date in July until Monday.
Continue reading below for the original story.
TCU senior receiver KaVontae Turpin was arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend on Sunday and has since been suspended from the team. It was actually his second arrest on such a charge this year.
Turpin was booked into Tarrant County Jail on Sunday, Oct. 21, after being charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member, per a Tarrant County Jail booking report. Under Texas law, assault causing bodily injury to a family member can also include domestic partners and girlfriends.
He was also arrested in New Mexico on March 15 and charged with battery of a household member, according to records obtained Monday by Shehan Jeyarajah of Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Turpin was also charged with criminal damage to the property of a household member under $1,000 and interference with communications. He pleaded not guilty to the battery and property damage charges.
There is an outstanding bench warrant for Turpin in New Mexico for failure to appear in Las Cruces Magistrate Court. He did not attend a pre-trial hearing on July 17.
According to the arrest affidavit from the Oct. 21 incident, obtained by the Star-Telegram's Drew Davison, Turpin's girlfriend told police that he "dragged" her across a parking lot and "slammed" her to the ground during an altercation late Saturday night.
A witness reportedly told police Turpin was "manhandling" his girlfriend and was “grabbing her from behind with one arm across her neck” while dragging her across the lot.
The charge is a Class A misdemeanor. Turpin has been released from jail.
Horned Frogs football coach Gary Patterson announced on the Big 12 coaches teleconference Monday that Turpin was suspended and unlikely to play this week against Kansas.
"We’re gathering information, but at this point in time he probably won’t play against Kansas," Patterson said.
When initially contacted for comment Monday morning, TCU athletics directed reporters to the university communications department. TCU communications provided the following statement to Purple Menace regarding Turpin's arrest:
“Texas Christian University is aware that one of its students was recently arrested for a reported domestic situation. The university takes these types of reports very seriously and is continuing to gather information to determine next steps. TCU expects its students to behave in an ethical manner, abide by campus policies and adhere to state and federal law. The student also may face a charge of violating the University Code of Student Conduct, the results of which are independent and separate from any legal charges.”
Turpin has caught 29 passes for 410 yards and 3 touchdowns for TCU this season. He had 212 all-purpose yards and 2 total touchdowns in TCU's 52-27 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.