Lane Garrison, whom New Jersey readers will remember as one of the stars of the onetime hit “Prison Break,” was recently arrested after allegedly committing assault and battery against his girlfriend.
Now, domestic violence is a social ill for which we should have zero tolerance, but in Garrison’s defense, the facts surrounding this case are anything but clear. Because of that, it would be improper for us to make up our minds about anything (other than that domestic violence is unacceptable, of course).
Celebrity gossip site TMZ reported earlier this week that Garrison’s girlfriend claimed he had hit her after he returned home intoxicated from a party at the Playboy Mansion. Garrison’s girlfriend has said she was bruised after the incident and wants Garrison to go to rehab for an alleged drinking problem.
Garrison tells a different story, of course, and has consistently protested his innocence. Through his attorney, he has said he was in his girlfriend’s apartment because he was dog-sitting for a friend and only ran into her by happenstance. His claim is that she went “ballistic” on him and he pushed her into a chair to calm her down. Regardless, he was arrested and has been charged with felony domestic violence.
As we said, our society can have no room for violence between partners, but we must not rush to judge Garrison. We have to sort through all the facts first before we can come to an informed conclusion. If you are ever accused of domestic violence, it is important that you at least consider hiring an attorney to represent you because no one can afford the stigma of being labeled a spousal abuser (or the legal consequences, for that matter). Likewise, if you are the victim of domestic violence, you must not allow the perpetrator to get away with it.
Source: The San Jose Mercury News, “Hicks: Lane Garrison arrested for domestic violence,” Tony Hicks, April 23, 2012
