Former 49er Ray McDonald charged with domestic violence

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Former San Francisco 49er defensive tackle Ray McDonald was charged with domestic violence and false imprisonment in connection with allegations he assaulted his ex-fiancee while she held their 2-month-old child, prosecutors said Thursday. If he’s convicted of all charges, he could serve up to three years in prison.

Santa Clara police lieutenant Kurt Clarke told NBC Bay Area following McDonald’s arrest in May that the 30-year-old “physically assaulted the victim while she was holding a baby”.

McDonald was later arrested in San Jose and posted bail, and his attorney contends that there was an argument, but no physical contact.

McDonald also had been arrested August 31 in another incident involving the woman, who alleged that McDonald “choked me, dragged and tried to remove me from the house and put his knee in my stomach when I was 10 weeks pregnant”.

McDonald was arrested again two days later for violating an emergency protective order by returning to the woman’s home. He was not charged in that case.

Citing a pattern of behavior and off-field issues, the 49ers released McDonald on December 17.

The charges stem from an encounter in the early morning hours of May 25 where he allegedly broke through a bedroom door at a Carlyle Court apartment he leased for his ex-fiance and the child they have together. The Bears signed him in the offseason, but released him after his arrest in May.