parkmania
11-10-2009, 05:57 PM
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. -- All charges were dropped Tuesday against Olympic gold medalist and TNA pro wrestler Kurt Angle, who maintains that he would not hurt a woman, even though his fellow wrestler and ex-girlfriend claims otherwise.
"I've never hit a woman and never would," said Angle, who cried after his hearing on simple assault and harassment charges. "I was brought up by my mother that way, and I had to go through this."
Angle's 1 p.m. hearing before District Judge Mary Murray wasn't completed until about 4:30 p.m. In legal circles, it's referred to as a "cattle call," where dozens of cases are scheduled for the same courtroom on the same day.
Murray had previously warned the alleged victim, 26-year-old Trenesha Biggers, that this was her final chance to appear in court. Biggers told Channel 4 Action News that she flew to Pittsburgh on Tuesday so she could attend.
In an exclusive interview before the hearing, Biggers told WTAE Channel 4's Michelle Wright that she was "terrified" by the alleged abuse that she claims she suffered at Angle's hands.
"The first few times that it happened, I believed that, 'Maybe this won't happen any more.' But at this point in time, I was like, the next time that this happens, I could die," Biggers said.
Watch our interview with Trenesha Biggers tonight on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 6 p.m.
One day earlier, Biggers' protection-from-abuse order against Angle was dropped by an Allegheny County judge after she and Angle agreed on a "no contact" civil order that requires them to stay away from each other for three years.
"Both parties signed an order with an acknowledgement that a physical altercation occurred at Mr. Angle's home on Aug. 6," said Biggers' lawyer, Dana Levine.
Despite that, all charges were dropped at Tuesday's hearing and Angle maintains that he never struck Biggers or did anything that would cause her to seek protection.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Biggers claims that the 40-year-old Angle attacked her in his Moon Township home, where she was living at the time. Nine days later, Biggers went to police and showed them bruises and scratches and got the PFA to have Angle removed from the house.
"She's a professional wrestler. She left the state, went to Florida for a period of time. We don't know how she got those bruises, but we can tell you, they were not at the hands of my client," said Angle's lawyer, Michelle Santicola, before an October hearing that was postponed when Biggers failed to show up.
TNA allowed Angle to continue appearing on its weekly television shows and monthly pay-per-view events while his case went through the legal system. He's scheduled to be in a featured match on the company's "Turning Point" pay-per-view show Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.
Biggers used to work for TNA under the name "Rhaka Khan." Since she and Angle are both pro wrestlers, it's conceivable that they could run into each other professionally in the future, and their no-contact order includes the understanding that there may be "intermittent contact," according to Angle's attorney.
"I've never hit a woman and never would," said Angle, who cried after his hearing on simple assault and harassment charges. "I was brought up by my mother that way, and I had to go through this."
Angle's 1 p.m. hearing before District Judge Mary Murray wasn't completed until about 4:30 p.m. In legal circles, it's referred to as a "cattle call," where dozens of cases are scheduled for the same courtroom on the same day.
Murray had previously warned the alleged victim, 26-year-old Trenesha Biggers, that this was her final chance to appear in court. Biggers told Channel 4 Action News that she flew to Pittsburgh on Tuesday so she could attend.
In an exclusive interview before the hearing, Biggers told WTAE Channel 4's Michelle Wright that she was "terrified" by the alleged abuse that she claims she suffered at Angle's hands.
"The first few times that it happened, I believed that, 'Maybe this won't happen any more.' But at this point in time, I was like, the next time that this happens, I could die," Biggers said.
Watch our interview with Trenesha Biggers tonight on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 6 p.m.
One day earlier, Biggers' protection-from-abuse order against Angle was dropped by an Allegheny County judge after she and Angle agreed on a "no contact" civil order that requires them to stay away from each other for three years.
"Both parties signed an order with an acknowledgement that a physical altercation occurred at Mr. Angle's home on Aug. 6," said Biggers' lawyer, Dana Levine.
Despite that, all charges were dropped at Tuesday's hearing and Angle maintains that he never struck Biggers or did anything that would cause her to seek protection.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Biggers claims that the 40-year-old Angle attacked her in his Moon Township home, where she was living at the time. Nine days later, Biggers went to police and showed them bruises and scratches and got the PFA to have Angle removed from the house.
"She's a professional wrestler. She left the state, went to Florida for a period of time. We don't know how she got those bruises, but we can tell you, they were not at the hands of my client," said Angle's lawyer, Michelle Santicola, before an October hearing that was postponed when Biggers failed to show up.
TNA allowed Angle to continue appearing on its weekly television shows and monthly pay-per-view events while his case went through the legal system. He's scheduled to be in a featured match on the company's "Turning Point" pay-per-view show Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.
Biggers used to work for TNA under the name "Rhaka Khan." Since she and Angle are both pro wrestlers, it's conceivable that they could run into each other professionally in the future, and their no-contact order includes the understanding that there may be "intermittent contact," according to Angle's attorney.