Bengals RB Joe Mixon found not guilty in road rage case
A Hamilton County judge found Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon not guilty of aggravated menacing after a four-day trial, according to WKRC Local 12.
Mixon, 27, allegedly pointed a gun at a woman and threatened to shoot her during a road rage incident on Jan. 21, one day before the Bengals played the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round. Police originally issued an arrest warrant for Mixon in February, but the initial charges were dropped and refiled under the current aggravated menacing charges.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges in April and faced up to six months in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine.
“Knowing the facts, knowing Joe as a person and having tremendous faith in the legal systems ability to get to the truth we had no doubt of the eventual outcome," Mixon's agent, Peter Schaffer, said in a statement. "This vindicates Joe as a person and that is what’s most important. Back to the business of football.”
During the trial, prosecutors reportedly showed clips from the day of the alleged incident which showed Mixon's vehicle cut off the alleged victim's car before both turned onto the same street, according to WLWT 5. Ashley Cheek, the alleged victim, said she took pictures of Mixon's car and license plate before she pulled up to him and gave him an obscene hand gesture. The two reportedly yelled at each other until Mixon allegedly pulled out a gun and said, “You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police [can't] get me.”
Mixon's attorneys attempted to dismiss the case after claiming the prosecution didn't have evidence of a gun and the alleged victim reportedly said she was not scared. The judge denied that request before she found Mixon not guilty.
The Bengals wrote in a statement that they were "pleased that this matter is now behind everyone."
#Bengals statement after not guilty verdict for Joe Mixon: pic.twitter.com/Adjvu1sSZK
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) August 17, 2023
While this verdict wrapped up one of Mixon's legal issues this summer, the veteran running back will still face a civil suit filed against him and members of his family for a March incident in which a 16-year-old was shot at Mixon's home. The lawsuit, filed by the teenager's legal guardian, alleged Mixon provided the weapon and the bullets used by Mixon's sister's boyfriend who shot and hit the boy. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries
Mixon took a pay cut this offseason to return to the Bengals for his seventh season. He rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022 and has rushed for 5,378 yards and 40 touchdowns since the Bengals drafted him with the No. 48 pick in 2017.
