Former Dolphins running back Mark Walton free on bail after domestic violence arrest
Former Dolphins and University of Miami running back Mark Walton’s bond was set at $10,000 Wednesday morning after his arrest on a charge of aggravated battery on a person known to be pregnant.
Walton, 22, posted bond late Wednesday and was released from jail.
Broward County Circuit Court Judge Jackie Powell also included a stay-away order, designed to prevent Walton from contacting the alleged victim, his live-in pregnant girlfriend.
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A Davie police arrest report says Walton pushed his girlfriend, five weeks pregnant, against a wall ‘and punched her several times in the face and head” in Tuesday’s early hours. Walton learned of the pregnancy Sunday, the arrest report said.
“He did deny touching the young lady at any point in time,” Walton’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 after Wednesday’s bond hearing. “He feels badly that he’s been arrested, he feels badly that he’s having a situation with the mother of his child again. Mr. Walton denies striking her so there’s nothing technically for him to be remorseful for.”
Within hours of Walton’s fourth arrest over the last year, the Dolphins released him.
“He’s presumed innocent. I would have preferred that the Dolphins gave an opportunity for us to investigate the case but I respect their decision,” Gottlieb said.
Walton was two games into a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse and conduct policy in connection with his earlier arrests. The Cincinnati Bengals, now winless on the season and seemingly destined for the No. 1 overall draft pick, cut Walton in April after his third arrest in three months:
▪ Feb. 1: Arrested in Miami-Dade on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge that was dropped in August.
▪ Feb. 16: Arrested in Miami-Dade on a misdemeanor battery charge that was eventually dropped.
▪ April 3: Arrested in Miami-Dade on charges of reckless driving, misdemeanor marijuana possession, resisting an officer without violence and openly carrying a weapon. He plead guilty in September on all charges except the marijuana charge and got administrative probation. But a judge can’t hand down that sentence, so a week later, the probation got vacated.
The Dolphins gave the Booker T. Washington High graduate a tryout in May and, before his suspension, Walton was the best of a Dolphins bad running game this season. He’s still the Dolphins leading rusher for the season, albeit at a paltry 201 yards.
In addition to his criminal matters, records say Walton owes Broward County $303 after getting ticketed Oct. 14 going 54 mph in a 25 mph zone in the 14300 block of Stirling Road.
“He sped off after he got his ticket more than 14 mph above the speed limit before I lost visual over the overpass,” the ticketing Davie police officer wrote on the citation.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 1:47 PM.
