Cleveland Browns wideout and former LSU star Odell Beckham Jr. can’t seem to stay out of trouble and controversy.
After stirring things up by give Tiger players wads of cash following their College Football Playoff championship victory over Clemson, Beckham now is facing arrest warrant for slapping a police officer on the backside in the LSU locker room. The charge is simple battery in relation to a locker room interaction he had with a Mercedes-Benz Superdome police officer Monday.
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A law enforcement source said authorities originally sought a warrant for a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, but it was declined by a judge. The warrant was redrafted asserting a count of simple battery, and it was approved.
The difference between the crimes is not insignificant.
Louisiana law defines misdemeanor sexual battery as the intentional touching of the breasts or buttocks of a victim who did not consent to the contact. While it carries a maximum of six months in jail, it is relatively more serious than other misdemeanors because it is not expungeable in the event of a conviction.
Louisiana law defines simple battery more simply as “battery committed without the consent of the victim.” That crime, upon conviction, calls for up to six months in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000. It also expungeable for first-time offenders.
