Texas men's basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested Monday morning on a felony domestic violence charge.
Beard, 49, is currently going through the booking process at the Travis County jail, according to Kristen Dark, senior public information officer for Travis County Sheriff's Office.
"He is in our custody," Dark told ESPN. "I can confirm he is the person who is in our booking process."
Beard was arrested by police in Austin, Texas, and booked at 4:18 a.m. on a third-degree charge of "assault of a family/household member, impede breath circulation," or strangulation.
Austin police told ESPN they received a "disturbance hotshot" call, and officers were dispatched to the 1900 block of Vista Lane shortly after midnight Monday. The Austin Police Department's website defines a "hotshot" call as "incidents which are in progress are an immediate threat to life and/or public safety. ... These calls are dispatched immediately."
Beard's attorney, Perry Minton, told the Austin American-Statesman that Beard "is 100% innocent of these charges."
"He should never have been arrested," Minton told the paper. "The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable."
Said the school in a statement: "The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."
Texas, ranked seventh overall in the Associated Press poll, is 7-1 and off to its best start in years. The Longhorns are scheduled to host Rice on Monday night.
Beard, in his second season with the Longhorns, left Texas Tech to take what he called his "dream job" at Texas in 2021.
Beard, 49, is currently going through the booking process at the Travis County jail, according to Kristen Dark, senior public information officer for Travis County Sheriff's Office.
"He is in our custody," Dark told ESPN. "I can confirm he is the person who is in our booking process."
Beard was arrested by police in Austin, Texas, and booked at 4:18 a.m. on a third-degree charge of "assault of a family/household member, impede breath circulation," or strangulation.
Austin police told ESPN they received a "disturbance hotshot" call, and officers were dispatched to the 1900 block of Vista Lane shortly after midnight Monday. The Austin Police Department's website defines a "hotshot" call as "incidents which are in progress are an immediate threat to life and/or public safety. ... These calls are dispatched immediately."
Beard's attorney, Perry Minton, told the Austin American-Statesman that Beard "is 100% innocent of these charges."
"He should never have been arrested," Minton told the paper. "The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable."
Said the school in a statement: "The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."
Texas, ranked seventh overall in the Associated Press poll, is 7-1 and off to its best start in years. The Longhorns are scheduled to host Rice on Monday night.
Beard, in his second season with the Longhorns, left Texas Tech to take what he called his "dream job" at Texas in 2021.
