Domestic case against Christopher Owens dismissed
Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens at a recent players-only practice in Buford.
In a family violence hearing, the case against Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens was dismissed in Superior Court of Gwinnett County on Wednesday, according to Randall M. Kessler, Owens’ attorney.
Owens and Latia Terry, 22, of Lawrenceville, have a 9-month-old child together. She alleged that her apartment was ransacked and that some personal items were destroyed on June 12.
Owens contended that that Terry was not happy with their relationship and was seeking “revenge.”
“He’s is pleased that she decided to dismiss the case,” Kessler said. “He looks forward to working with her to raise their son together.”
Owens and Terry agreed to work together to establish parental rights and shared parenting time.
According to a Gwinnett County police incident report, Terry told officers that she left her apartment at 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, and when she returned home late Monday morning, the door was still locked, but the apartment had been burglarized and her possessions damaged.
The officer wrote in the report that the drywall in the living room had several holes, pictures were on the floor with holes in them and a flat-screen TV was lying on the floor, also with holes in it.
The TMZ report seemed out of character for the soft-spoken Owens, 24, who was named the Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year in 2010 for his community work and was nominated for the prestigious league-wide Walter Payton Award.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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77 comments Add your comment
Rob
June 22nd, 2011
10:22 am
First!! and thank goodness this is cleared up!!
Jason
June 22nd, 2011
10:28 am
Whether he was the perpetrator or not, hopefully the truth is what will come out. Regardless, its a shame to see that the “Man of the Year” cannot maintain a cordial relationship with the mother of his baby. Sadly, our culture seems to think it no big deal that these men are fathering children without the commitment of marriage.
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
10:29 am
If he did not do it, then she needs to be arrested for making a false claim. Tired of all this baby mama drama. Grow up.
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
10:31 am
Also sad that all these women see is a freakin meal ticket at every opportunity.
dreday2011
June 22nd, 2011
10:34 am
where are the HATERS With the Pimp and Thug Comments So Quick To JUdge and sterotype All Blackmen
Rikus
June 22nd, 2011
10:38 am
I agree with “the truth.” Let’s hold someone responsible for this mess – it’s either a legitimate complaint or a false report, and either way somebody’s breaking the law.
Ted M
June 22nd, 2011
10:41 am
I was too quick to judge when this story first broke.
Sorry Chris
Ted M
June 22nd, 2011
10:43 am
I never used the terms Pimp or Thug
PMC
June 22nd, 2011
10:44 am
Good good. Good outcome overall, but seriously…if she trashed her own house maybe she needs to be evaluated mentally.
Larry
June 22nd, 2011
10:45 am
Jason,
Touché!
For Real
June 22nd, 2011
11:00 am
“Regardless, its a shame to see that the “Man of the Year” cannot maintain a cordial relationship with the mother of his baby” – It takes two people in order to maintain a relationship. To put the status of this relationship solely on the shoulder of man is wrong.
“Sadly, our culture seems to think it no big deal that these men are fathering children without the commitment of marriage.” – Again, it takes two people in order to birth a child. Also, every culture on this planet since the beginning of mankind has birth children without the commitment of marriage.
@Jason
June 22nd, 2011
11:02 am
I don’t think we have enough information to comment on whether or not he can maintain a civil relationship with the mother of his child. If she wrecked her house and destroyed her belongings to frame him, then I can see why this is the case. The fact that he had a child out of wedlock is less than desirable, but from what it sounds like he is being a father in case where being a husband was not an option. So quick to judge! It’s not anyone on this earths’ place to past judgment.
hiramsaint
June 22nd, 2011
11:03 am
funny how funny money can clear all sorts of things up
The Dogkiller Returns
June 22nd, 2011
11:12 am
See? A quick resolution.
Paying attention, NFL?
FalcFans.com » Domestic case dropped against Owens
June 22nd, 2011
11:21 am
[...] D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that at today’s family violence hearing, the case against Falcons cornerback Chris Owens was dismissed by a Gwinnett County Superior Court. Last week, LaTia Terry, Owens’ ex-girlfriend and mother of their 9-month old son, filed a police report alleging that Owens destroyed $15,000 worth of items in her apartment although charges were never filed against him. The case was dismissed when Terry and Owens agreed to work together to establish parental rights and shared parenting time. [...]
schmeckdawg
June 22nd, 2011
11:24 am
If it wasn’t for a certain part of a womens anatomy, they’d have a bounty on them!
JRHD
June 22nd, 2011
11:28 am
IF, big IF, she is responsible for destroying her own belongings and then calling the police she needs to be prosecuted. If I were Christopher Owens I would also think about seeking sole custody. If she is capable of all this drama I don’t know that I would want my 9mth old baby living in her house. He seems like a straight up kind of guy, so I don’t think we need to be throwing rocks at Dude. He is trying to be a father to his baby. Just because he doesn’t want to get married to/be in a relationship with a woman who makes false accusations against him is no reason to hate on him.
Michael
June 22nd, 2011
11:30 am
I think they both need to have a good talk with the good Rev. Jessie Jackson!Opp’s…. forgot about his love child.Another baby Daddy NO HUSBAND!
Next they will be in court trying to get child support FROM THE MAN OF THE YEAR!
ATL Fan
June 22nd, 2011
11:30 am
For Real and @Jason
The fact that out-of-wedlock children are quickly transforming from taboo, to shunned, to undesireable, to commonplace, to acceptable, is a reflection, not only on the parents, but our society.
It is a symptom of the degredation of the family unit.
Making babies is a simple act, parenting is a complex commitment.
Family Violence Case Against Falcons CB Chris Owens Dismissed
June 22nd, 2011
11:31 am
[...] and Terry agreed to work together to establish parental rights and shared parenting time. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution [...]
Badger
June 22nd, 2011
11:39 am
When will atheltes in general realize alot of woman want to get pregnant so they can collect child support and support themselves for 18 years. Christopher Owens is the man of the year, what a joke, the baby is 9 months old and he cant even be in a cordial relationship with her. He either shows extremely poor judgment in even getting her pregnant before being married and then after she has baby they cant even get along together for the sake of the baby.
Just another professional athlete who has poor judgment. What a joke alot of these athletes are, thank god they are athletic and can earn a good check otherwise, the unemployment rate would be that much higher.
cdillinger
June 22nd, 2011
11:41 am
Just like there’s no stigma with having a child out of wedlock there’s no stigma with divorce when kids are part of the equation how come no one talks about when its basically the same thing
Badger is a Jerk
June 22nd, 2011
11:44 am
Wow. What a sanctimonius, holier than thou prig you are.
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
11:44 am
hey Schmeckdawg, my divorce attorney told me the exact bounty quote.
Could not agree more. So true.
Court clears Falcons CB Owens after family violence hearing | Football News Hub
June 22nd, 2011
11:46 am
[...] The case against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Chris Owens, who allegedly ransacked his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, was dismissed after a family violence hearing in Superior Court of Gwinnett County (Ga.) on Wednesday, the player’s attorney told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
Dawglasville
June 22nd, 2011
11:47 am
This story has pretty muched been filed under, “A Private Matter,” that has been worked out between two adults, very similar to the Bobby Cox or the Warren Moon matters years ago. I’ve never understood how anyone could pull Bobby Cox’s situation into why Bond’s was getting the shaft from the press. This deal with Owens is an apples to apples comparison.
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
11:50 am
Where is a 22 year old “mother” of a 9 month old going on a Sunday night at 11 pm? Only to return in the wee hours of Monday morning. Oh, probably a late night formula and diaper run.
nick p
June 22nd, 2011
11:51 am
i love how people instinctly take shots at others who they dont know or circumstances they dont understand or have all the facts too! we are such a judgmental society considering all of us have one sort of skeleton or another in our own closet! how come when a white athlete does something terrible or wrong he and the rest of the white athletes are not categorized as THUGS or gang members, or pimp or other deragatory names and comments, what makes the white athlete different outside of his shade of skin color?
nick p
June 22nd, 2011
11:53 am
@the truth:
you must be one of those people who feels rape is justified based on the woman’s choice of outfit?! how pitiful of an argument lacking much logic, other wise you are a moron!
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
11:53 am
At least she did not go all “Left Eye” on him and burn the place down.
Dawglasville
June 22nd, 2011
12:00 pm
nick p – It is not acceptable. It makes me sick to see that too. It also makes me sick to see guys like Nash, Brookings, Dirk (until recently) being labeled as over rated. That is the label usually given to a white athlete by some blacks. I also hated hearing Bird being referred to as “white boy” by other players when he came into the NBA. The white tailback in the NFL takes it in stride when his black opponents tell him to get back on the offensive line where he belongs. I agree with you about calling guys out for the “thug” comments. I do it all the time on the college blogs, but just remember that there is no difference between white and black bloggers just like there is no difference between white and black players.
the truth
June 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm
Nick, how do you draw a rape conclusion out of what I stated? Read the article, moron. What I stated was what was in the police report.
You are the one drawing the conclusions.
Chucktown38
June 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm
See the whole problem with everything these days is BABYS momma and babys daddy, not mom and dad or husband and wife.
nick p
June 22nd, 2011
12:03 pm
@dawglasville:
you by your admission are playing this hateful game because apparently you hear other bloggers do it, so it is justified in your mind, which means it will keep going on as the cycle keeps repeating itself, people like you must stop if you truly want others to stop as well, two wrongs do not make a right no matter what your uncontroable emotions make you say!
nick p
June 22nd, 2011
12:04 pm
@turth:
because it is none fo your business where she was and what she was doing that has nothing to do with the actual problem stated in the story, she owes no explanation to you or me or anyonelese, maybe she was out getting formula and diaper, is that something you need to worry about?
ASHCAN.
June 22nd, 2011
12:12 pm
Why even have a he say she say blog concerning people personal lives anyway? AJC is messy.I can’t believe people are actually responding to this with sob opera responses,get a life.
Big Dude
June 22nd, 2011
12:25 pm
Boy, am I glad this is over with!
Now I can go on with my life.
Let’s talk football. July is fast approaching.
Michael
June 22nd, 2011
12:27 pm
Why can’t we all just get along!!!!!!!!!!
Section 108
June 22nd, 2011
12:30 pm
Goes to show – “Don’t be silly, wear that Jimmy!”
Dawglasville
June 22nd, 2011
12:36 pm
Nick P – you got it all wrong. I call people out on this “thug” deal all the time on these blogs. It is incredibly racist. Each act stands on it’s own and it needs to be addressed when it rears it’s ugly head. I’ve got love in my heart for everyone. I have little toleration for hate.
Dawglasville
June 22nd, 2011
12:40 pm
Nick P – my second point was that whites do not own the patent on ignorance or hate. Every color, orientation, or economic class is more than capable of that. By your own admission people are people.
The Jerk
June 22nd, 2011
12:42 pm
Have any of you thought about the possibility that she dropped the charges because he apologized and BEGGED AND PLEADED with her to not destroy his career? Because that is EXACTLY what would have happened if she went forward with the charges. Then neither of them get anything. If he has no career, she gets no child support & their child suffers. He clearly did these things, IMO, but if she drops the charges everyone thinks he’s innocent. No, he’s not innocent, she just decided not to have him pay for his crimes in the court of law.
mike
June 22nd, 2011
12:50 pm
All these negative comments from goobers out there. Nobody saids anything about all the other folks celebrities having babies and not being married. Heck ole Bristol gets a reality show, speaking engagements and writes a book. Chris gets stereotyped by folks who don’t know him but seem to have an agenda about people who look like him.
Yeahsure
June 22nd, 2011
12:51 pm
Glad to see it cleared up. Still waiting on the ESPN to clear it up as well.
Lets hope Chris can focus now. Work on that tackling
JT
June 22nd, 2011
12:51 pm
@ The Jerk….How do you know he’s guilty? Jerk!
RobbE33
June 22nd, 2011
12:56 pm
All of these comments are such sad commentaries on the state of our society. Unfortunately, The Jerk is probably right. No one wins and we all pay the price, or worse, pass the bill onto our children…
JT
June 22nd, 2011
1:14 pm
@ Dawglasville …… If you’ve noticed “Thug” is the new term for the N word. Just read any blog about someone who’s African-American.
bluto
June 22nd, 2011
1:17 pm
Nick P do you know what a sentence is? Or a . or even a ,. From reading your comments , I am guessing education was never really a priority for you huh?
War Eagle!
June 22nd, 2011
1:19 pm
he is still a pimp and thug for knocking up a 21 y o girl out of wedlock. Travis Henry, another black man confessed to knocking up 9 women in 9 states. all you hear about are Black athletes pro creating out of wedlock. no wonder Father’s day is the most confusing day in the NFL and NBA.
War Eagle!
June 22nd, 2011
1:21 pm
on another note- unless you were BORN in africa, you cannot claim citizenship and you are thus NOT African American. Just like my grandparents are from Italy- they were born there. i cannot claim to be an Italian American b/c I was not born in Italy. Be proud to be an american- choose a side and move there!
Remi
June 22nd, 2011
1:28 pm
War Eagle, I bet you are from the hicks of
Georgia, you are a racist. Go back to your double wide. Also, procreating is one word, not two.
Jojo
June 22nd, 2011
1:30 pm
I agree with The jerk’s comments, he did it, and to save the money, she dropped the charges. It’s so obvious….
Tenacious Tee
June 22nd, 2011
1:48 pm
Let me weigh in as a female. Baby mama drama occurs within all races. Let’s get back to the issue at hand……Mr. Owens will be playing football this season, and I can’t wait!!!!! Let’s learn to agree to disagree…..respectively.
The Jerk
June 22nd, 2011
1:59 pm
Thank u Jojo & RobbE33.. @ JT…i know because Im not stupid. He didn’t win the case or have it dismissed due to lack of evidence. SHE decided to drop the charges! Do you honestly think she wants him to lose his job over $15K worth of things that can be replaced? He eff’d up! He made a mistake! Im sure he apologized, took her shopping & all is forgiven. Im sure you got a GED at least, let’s put it to use, ok?
cwltank
June 22nd, 2011
2:04 pm
I’m a black American so I agree, I was not born there neither do I care to visit. I will be very upset to be called an African America. That being said whites are called Americans or should they be called European American. The Indians were here 1st and they are even called Native Americans. We all should be the same if you are born here you are just an American.
So this subject is over & lets talk football…………..
pb
June 22nd, 2011
2:13 pm
What’s with all the mean spirited, racially based comments? Doesn’t take much to get some people on here all fired up… What is the point?
Dawglasville
June 22nd, 2011
2:27 pm
I know that “thug” is the new “n” word. Has anyone read anything I have blogged? I don’t know why the AJC doesn’t edit “thug” out of the blogs. That said, pb, Tenacious Tee, cwltank, you’re right. Let’s get back to talking football.
oneofeach4me
June 22nd, 2011
2:46 pm
I’d put my money on Mr. Owens’ current girlfriend as the one who trashed the ex’s house. I mean, pouring bleach on clothes is something mostly women do. And why would he (Mr. Owens) tear up the crib his son sleeps in?? If you truely think about it instead of believing the first thing you hear… it might make sense.
Chris
June 22nd, 2011
2:49 pm
This is why our country is decaying. If this crazy Biatch was good enough to sleep with, then she darn sure well was good enough to marry once she had his kid. If he had no intentions of marrying her, he sure shouldn’t have been pluggin’ his stick where it don’t belong!
Chris
June 22nd, 2011
2:52 pm
AMEN! cwltank…Well said! Now on to UGA being ranked #1 in the first BCS Poll that will come out in October.
DC Dirty Bird
June 22nd, 2011
3:01 pm
Don’t they talk about this kind of stuff at the Rookie Symposium. Don’t these guys know that there are women who’s goal in life is to become a sports wife. They don’t want to be baby mommas, they want the life, to be on the scene.
Oh yeah, I doubt Chris Owens trashed that apartment. Why? Because he’s probably paying the rent, and bought most of the stuff in there.
FACTS
June 22nd, 2011
3:06 pm
@WarEagle
Since we were brought over here unwillingly by vicious thieves, our true birth rite was stolen by them. So anyone who wants to call themselves African-American is well within their rights…..even the Indians who were robbed & nearly annhilated, still reserve the only rights to call themselves Native-Americans….since you say you don’t call yourself Italian-American what do you call yourself, because like it are not, you are not recognized as a Native-American!!! LOL
Court clears Falcons CB Owens after family violence hearing | World Cup Scores
June 22nd, 2011
3:23 pm
[...] The case against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Chris Owens, who allegedly ransacked his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, was dismissed after a family violence hearing in Superior Court of Gwinnett County (Ga.) on Wednesday, the player’s attorney told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
FACTS
June 22nd, 2011
3:23 pm
@Chris & cwltank
Chris you can check that ” Leave it to Beaver” 1950s….having sex, means getting married, at the door. 80% of all marriages since 2000, have ended in divorce within the first 3 years!
Cwltank keep thinking with we are just ” Americans ” attitude….I guess that is why Warrick Dunn a standup citizen, was pulled over a month ago & harrassed by the police for nothing! Maybe it was because he is an ” American”…..LOL
PMC
June 22nd, 2011
3:24 pm
There sure are a lot of soap boxes here on the old internet. Lots of brave folks when you can’t see into the closets.
Eric
June 22nd, 2011
3:37 pm
Jason, you dumb turd. Read the article… this woman is the reason the man is leaving. She probably had this baby as a carreer oportunity. I guess that doesn’t matter to you! Wake up and get some damn common sense.
Oh the hypocrisy
June 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Call a black man who has a child out of wedlock a “pimp” but then not talk about celebs who change spouses like they change their underwear!! It is a shift in society as a whole. Has nothing to do with black or white, the only difference is how they go about it. I see no difference in some one who has been married 3 times with 3 kids from different wives, that someone with 3 kids, 3 different mothers and never been married.
Latia Terry Domestic Violence Case Against Christopher Owens Dismissed | Robert Littal Presents BlackSportsOnline
June 22nd, 2011
4:25 pm
[...] a family violence hearing, the case against the Falcons cornerback was dismissed in Superior Court of Gwinnett County on Wednesday, according to his attorney Randall M. [...]
RobbE33
June 22nd, 2011
4:33 pm
Trash knows no color boundaries, nor does class. We can only hope Chris matures. Meanwhile, let’s congratulate a role model if there ever was one- Warrick Dunn wins a Jefferson award for outstanding athlete in service and philanthropy:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/jefferson-prizes-for-public-983403.html
Steve
June 22nd, 2011
4:39 pm
WOW!!!…..I’m just glad Brett Favre, Derek Lowe, and Big Ben were cleared of any criminal charges because we don’t want to call them THUGS do we??? Double standard!!!!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
June 22nd, 2011
6:29 pm
I was out at practice and writing today. Missed our little episode of “Basketball Wives” on the blog today. Messy.
Brain Trust
June 22nd, 2011
9:00 pm
Very well said War Eagle. If the splits would just pack up and leave along with Libs and Dems, this will be a great country again.
Brain Trust
June 22nd, 2011
9:03 pm
@ Remi, It’s 9:00 P M- Shouldn’t you be back in the hood giving you parole officer a check in call?
The Jerk
June 23rd, 2011
12:13 am
Its so funny to hear people say a woman got pregnant to get a paycheck. If my memory serves me correctly, it takes TWO to tango! She cant get pregnant without him so please stop spewing such ignorance on this post. People act like men never have an agenda with women. SMH! He got her pregnant, she let him and thats how the baby got here, PERIOD! Am I the only educated person on here? Can you guys read between the lines? The charges were dropped by HER which means a deal was reached between them. If he were completely innocent, there wouldn’t have been a deal reached and he would have gone after her for defamation of character and/or slander. If you cant see that then your comments are really not worth reading. I’d bet my Brent Grimes jersey that him and one of his new chicks did this crap! How dumb was it for Chris to do this RIGHT AFTER they had an argument over their custody arrangement? What an idiot!
Stevie B
June 23rd, 2011
10:17 am
I still beleive that Owens did absolutly nothing wrong except getting messed up this young lady. This was nothing more than her saying “I will get you” and then following through with the threat. I know I won’t be looking for a date from her.
pb
June 23rd, 2011
6:08 pm
PMC,
You are right. Lots of brave,moralizing people on here, when you know nothing about their own lives. Also easy to attack someone when you can hide behind anonymity of Internet. But maybe a good way of blowing off steam?
im a kid
June 26th, 2011
1:42 pm
im only 12 years old and i have black friend and white friend why are you people so stuck on these 1930 and 1950 days i love all my friends no matter what color they are and you people are grown man all of you all need to die off so this world can be better can you guys just grow up and talk about football please