Vanessa Miller, CR Gazette –
An alleged domestic assault that led to another arrest for former University of Iowa wrestling All-American Montell Marion on Tuesday involved accusations he slammed a woman into a fireplace, leaving her with a headache, according to a Coralville police criminal complaint.
The complaint, made public Wednesday morning, said Marion and the alleged victim had been in an on-and-off relationship and the woman had stayed the previous night with Marion at his 2888 Coral Court unit in Coralville.
Marion, 24, was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse assault without intent causing injury after police were called to the home at 1:33 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a domestic fight.
Upon arrival, the alleged victim told police that Marion picked her up on his shoulders and slammed her to the fireplace. She complained of a headache as a result, according to the complaint.
Marion denied the events, police reported. He had a video of what took place, according to the complaint, but the video ends while they are arguing and does not show an assault.
Marion was booked into the Johnson County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, where he was still being held Wednesday morning.
Marion in March pleaded guilty to driving while barred as a habitual offender and was ordered to pay a fine. The plea was meant to close out a string of legal trouble he’d been in over the previous two years.
The three-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up who tallied more than 90 wins with the Hawkeyes was banned from all team activities in May 2010 after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
That arrest came after Marion had received moving violations for failing to maintain a safe distance and disobeying a traffic signal, according to his attorney. At the same time he received the operating while intoxicated citation, Marion also was ticketed for failure to use a turn signal and failure to obey a traffic control device.
Marion got a speeding ticket in July 2011, making it his sixth moving violation in two years and warranting a year driving ban. His attorney said Marion wasn’t aware that he had been barred when he was arrested on suspicion of driving while barred.
His attorney, Paul Rosenberg of Des Moines, told The Gazette in March that his client “never would have driven had he known he was barred.”
Marion’s once-permanent suspension from the Hawkeye wrestling squad was lifted in January 2011. Despite an offered transfer release from the UI, he chose to stay and try to regain his spot on the team.
Marion earned his spot back and received the team’s Mike J. McGivern Award for the team’s most courageous wrestler. In March, Marion made his second NCAA finals appearance and placed second in an overtime battle.