Tweet
Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who has lived a quiet off-field life the past seven years after a half-decade of routinely showing up on police blotters, has been charged with misdemeanor battery and false imprisonment against a woman in an incident suspected of occurring last year, according to Contra Costa Superior Court documents.
Circumstances are unclear. The alleged victim, Syrena Nicholson, did not return messages left on her phone. The Raiders released a statement from chief executive Amy Trask that said, "This incident occurred over a year ago. Sebastian was not arrested, we were aware of this matter and this is not news."
What is known comes from court documents in which Nicholson, 36, says Janikowski "did unlawfully violate (her) personal liberty" and "did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence upon (her) person" in Walnut Creek on Sept. 24, 2010 -- one day before Janikowski and the Raiders flew to Arizona for a game against the Cardinals. No arrest was made at the time; Nicholson, a Berkeley woman, filed her complaint after the fact.
Attorneys for both parties met in court Thursday for a pretrial conference. No trial date has been set. The charges against Janikowski could result in a maximum of 18 months in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Janikowski, 33, a native of Poland, was arrested four times between 1998 and 2000, during his time at Florida State University -- three times in connection with barroom altercations. He pleaded no contest to one charge, was acquitted on another and charges were dropped on the third.
He also was arrested for underage alcohol possession, to which he pleaded no contest and paid $215 in court costs.
The Raiders selected Janikowski in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. Shortly before reporting to training camp, he was arrested in Tallahassee, Fla., on suspicion of possession of the date-rape drug GHB. He was acquitted in 2001.
He was arrested for reckless driving in June 2002, and for DUI four months later. He pleaded no contest to the latter and received three years of probation. In 2003 he was arrested after a fight outside a Walnut Creek restaurant. The charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Janikowski is the Raiders' all-time leading scorer with 1,153 points. He tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in Monday night's season opening win at Denver.
Source: Contra Costa Times
Circumstances are unclear. The alleged victim, Syrena Nicholson, did not return messages left on her phone. The Raiders released a statement from chief executive Amy Trask that said, "This incident occurred over a year ago. Sebastian was not arrested, we were aware of this matter and this is not news."
What is known comes from court documents in which Nicholson, 36, says Janikowski "did unlawfully violate (her) personal liberty" and "did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence upon (her) person" in Walnut Creek on Sept. 24, 2010 -- one day before Janikowski and the Raiders flew to Arizona for a game against the Cardinals. No arrest was made at the time; Nicholson, a Berkeley woman, filed her complaint after the fact.
Attorneys for both parties met in court Thursday for a pretrial conference. No trial date has been set. The charges against Janikowski could result in a maximum of 18 months in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Janikowski, 33, a native of Poland, was arrested four times between 1998 and 2000, during his time at Florida State University -- three times in connection with barroom altercations. He pleaded no contest to one charge, was acquitted on another and charges were dropped on the third.
He also was arrested for underage alcohol possession, to which he pleaded no contest and paid $215 in court costs.
The Raiders selected Janikowski in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. Shortly before reporting to training camp, he was arrested in Tallahassee, Fla., on suspicion of possession of the date-rape drug GHB. He was acquitted in 2001.
He was arrested for reckless driving in June 2002, and for DUI four months later. He pleaded no contest to the latter and received three years of probation. In 2003 he was arrested after a fight outside a Walnut Creek restaurant. The charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Janikowski is the Raiders' all-time leading scorer with 1,153 points. He tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in Monday night's season opening win at Denver.
Source: Contra Costa Times