by Bill Finley & Mike Kane
Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown was arrested Wednesday in Saratoga Springs and charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor. On Thursday, Brown, who spent the night in jail, entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment and was ordered to reappear in court on Sept. 2. Cash bail was $2,500.
According to the website of attorney Andrew DeLuca, “New York state defines the crime of obstruction of breathing as the intent to impede the normal breathing or circulation of the blood by applying pressure to the throat or neck or blocking the nose or mouth of another person. These charges usually result from domestic incidents between couples.”
Criminal obstruction of breathing is class A misdemeanor. Upon conviction of a class A misdemeanor, a court may sentence an individual to a maximum of one year in jail or three years probation.
According to a handwritten statement from the alleged victim, who was not named, an encounter with Brown turned violent after she entered his house and found him in bed with another female. The statement reads: “On August 17, 2022 at around 11 pm, I went to the house of Chad Brown, my on again off again significant other. I have a key to the house, so I let myself in. I went to his room and saw another female in bed with him. I confronted him on that and he got up and pushed me down some stairs. I fought him down the hallway and he pinned me to the floor and started choking me. He applied pressure to my neck while it was against the floor. I was able to push him off of me and get up. Chad then pushed me out the door and I left and came to the police station.”
Brown was handcuffed while in court and was wearing cargo shorts and a black Pink Floyd t-shirt. According to reporting from Subrina Dhammi of WNYT television, Brown's attorney, Joseph Gerstenzang, told the court that Brown was left with no option but to defend himself after the woman broke into his house. On Twitter, Dhammi wrote that the judge, Francine Vero, did not believe the claims made by Brown's attorney. “This court is not in the business of accusing domestic violence victims,” said the judge, according to Dhammi's report.
Gerstenzang did not return a phone call from the TDN.
Brown entered Wednesday with 27 wins at the meet, making him the leading trainer. He had two horses entered and neither was scratched. Brown was seeking to win the Saratoga title for the fifth time. In 2020, he set a Saratoga record with 46 wins.
“NYRA is aware of the charges brought against trainer Chad Brown today and will defer additional comment on this matter to the Saratoga Springs Police Department,” said NYRA spokesman Patrick McKenna.
Because the investigation is on-going, police spokesman Sgt. Paul Veitch said he was unable to provide details of the incident, including where it took place and the name of the alleged victim. He did say that Brown and the victim were “acquaintances.”
Additional reporting by Sydney Kass
Updates on Chad Brown's arrest in Saratoga.
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— TDN (@theTDN) August 18, 2022
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