Heather Locklear arrested for domestic violence, became combative

Ventura County, California, sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call on Feb. 25 in Thousand Oaks, an area west of Los Angeles. The victim had a physical injury, making the alleged domestic violence offense a felony in California. The alleged assailant was actor Heather Locklear, 56, famous for her roles on TV’s “Dynasty” and “Melrose Place.”

According to a spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was Locklear’s boyfriend. As a victim of alleged domestic assault, he was not identified to the press. The spokesperson had no details about the injury and the victim declined treatment.

The spokesperson also said that Locklear went from uncooperative to combative. “She was kicking at and pushing our deputies,” he said. She now faces four misdemeanor charges of battery on a peace officer; the domestic violence charges were later dismissed.

Locklear said she had become injured before the deputies arrived. She was taken to a hospital to be cleared medically and then was booked into jail.

Locklear has a prior arrest which could come up at trial, if the case proceeds that far. According to the Associated Press, she was arrested in 2008 after officers found her driving her car back and forth over a pair of sunglasses. She was originally charged with driving under the influence of a prescription drug. She pled guilty to reckless driving and given unsupervised probation.

Locklear has been married twice. Between 1986 and 1993, she was married to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. She was married to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora between 1994 to 2007.

Domestic violence offenses in Colorado

People from all walks of life can be accused of domestic violence offenses. In Colorado, it is not a specific crime but a classification applying to offenses against individuals or property. It can range from social media harassment or destruction of property to physical assaults and battery. To be considered domestic violence, any crime against a person or property simply has to be committed in an effort to coerce, control, punish, intimidate or take revenge against an intimate partner.

Colorado’s domestic violence law requires police officers to make an arrest, or to arrest both parties, if they believe that probable cause exists to believe that one or both partners has committed a crime of domestic violence. This means the suspect will be arrested and held in jail until they can appear before a judge, even if no one was hurt, and even if the alleged victim doesn’t want the arrest. A mandatory protection order will be put in place which will require the suspect to have no contact whatsoever with the alleged victim unless or until the protection order is modified by the judge.

If you find yourself accused of a domestic violence offense, you should contact a criminal defense lawyer right away to protect your rights.