Naya Rivera's Altercation with Ryan Dorsey: Police Release Photos of His Injuries, New Details
Days after the domestic battery charge against Naya Rivera was dismissed, police have released new information about the violent incident between the Glee actress and estranged husband Ryan Dorsey, reporting that the fight began after she allegedly let go of their 2-year-old son Josey’s stroller.
The 31-year-old Glee alum was arrested in West Virginia over Thanksgiving weekend after Dorsey, 34, called 911 about Rivera’s alleged “out of control” behavior and requested that a police officer be dispatched to the scene. Dorsey told the officer that Rivera was “getting physical” and said that no weapons were present.
She was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after she allegedly hit Dorsey while taking their 2-year-old son Josey Hollis Dorsey for a walk. The charge was dismissed on Tuesday, prosecuting attorney Charles Miller told PEOPLE, because Dorsey did not wish to press prosecution of her.
But on Friday, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s made more details about the incident public in a redacted case report.
“Rivera took the two on a walk … to look at the stars in the sky,” the policeman continues. “Rivera attempted to show her son, who was in a stroller, the stars as well. Dorsey advised he and the child seemed to be uninterested in the sights. Rivera started pushing the stroller up a slight incline … where she lets go of the stroller, causing it to roll backward toward Dorsey. Dorsey advised the stroller rolled backward approximately five feet before it reached him.”
Dorsey told police he suspected Rivera was acting strangely because she allegedly had been drinking. He began to push the stroller back to his parents’ home, where the couple was staying, and “continued stating repeatedly how he couldn’t believe she had let the stroller go with their child in it,” according to the report. “Rivera began using profane language and yelling at him. Dorsey advised he continued pushing the stroller, not letting Rivera have control of it again. Rivera became irate and began to strike Dorsey, with a closed fist, in the face and back of the head.” He then called 911.
The case report includes photos of Dorsey’s head and seemingly swollen lip.
The officer says he spoke with Rivera, who “showed an abundance amount of emotions,” “struggled to keep on track with the questions being asked,” and “advised that Dorsey had been yelling during dinner, walking around the table in an aggressive manner while everyone was sitting. The other members of the family denied this to be true.”
According to the report, “Rivera’s eyes were glassy and an alcoholic odor was emanating from her person.” She told the office she had wine at dinner. She was arrested and released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond.
The officer adds that Josey “was not injured during the domestic battery incident” and “there does not appear to be probable cause to substantiate any criminal charges of child neglect or child abuse.”
Dorsey addressed the incident in a statement on Twitter on Nov. 28. “This is a difficult time for everyone in the family especially for Naya and I,” he said. “This isn’t some reality show, this is our life.”
He asked that everyone respect their privacy and treat them “with kindness, respect, without judgment, and as negative a situation this is, with positivity and love.”
The couple wed in July 2014. Just over a week after her arrest, Rivera re-filed for divorce — she first filed for divorce in November 2016 but, in early October, asked for a dismissal — and cited “irreconcilable differences,” listing the separation date as Nov. 24.
At the end of December, the former couple agreed to temporary joint custody of their son.
“The family is working together peacefully and all matters have been amicably resolved,” Rivera’s rep told PEOPLE on Dec. 29.
Rivera made her first public appearance since the arrest earlier this week, promoting her new YouTube show Step Up: High Water, at the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California.
