Gregory Boadwine, a star of the History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers," was arrested last week on charges of Battery Domestic Violence. Boadwine admits that he got into a heated argument with his wife, but is denying that it ever became physical. His wife appears to be changing her story also, claiming that the incident was not as violent as it seemed in police reports. Police reports indicated that the couple's nine-year-old son witness the incident. However, now both Boadwine and his wife stated that the son did not see much, if any, of the incident and was not harmed by it. Boadwine and his wife are scheduled to meet with Child Protective Services about the case shortly.
Why would the story now be so different than what appears in the police report? There can be a number of reasons. Prosecutors always claim that a victim is changing their story – called "recanting" – because the victim is afraid of the defendant. But, there are a number of reasons that an alleged victim in a domestic violence incident might reveal different facts later than they did at the time of the incident.
First, some police officers do not tell the whole story in their police reports. Because police feel pressured to make an arrest in domestic violence cases, they sometimes only report one side of the story. Second, during the heat of an argument, sometimes the alleged victim will exaggerate the facts in order to get their way. Sometimes this is intentional. Sometimes things just seem different in the heat of the moment than they do in the calm light of day.
Another reason people might see things differently the next day is because of the drastic consequences of a Domestic Violence arrests and/or convictions. In the above story, Boadwine and his wife are scheduled to be interviewed by Child Protective Services regarding the Domestic Violence incident, probably because the incident occurred in front of the child – which could be considered Child Endangerment. Child Protective Services has the ability to remove children from the parents' home if they deem the situation unsafe. In addition to potential CPS involvement, a conviction for Domestic Violence can result in the loss of the right to own or possess a firearm, up to six (6) months in jail, extensive weekly counseling requirements, huge fines and they can affect child custody matters.
If you or someone you know is charged with Battery Domestic Violence, it is important that you contact a Las Vegas Domestic Violence Attorney right away. A Las Vegas Domestic Violence Lawyer can assist you in analyzing the facts of your case, identifying appropriate defenses and developing the most aggressive litigation strategy possible to defend your legal rights.