University of Wisconsin basketball player, Maurice “Boo” Wade, was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor battery for allegedly choking his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend at her apartment on the 600 block of Langdon Street last week.
Wade, 19, had previously been arrested and charged with substantial battery, a felony. The difference between a felony and misdemeanor is the seriousness of the injuries.
Wade will appear in court Thursday morning on account of the charge.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, the victim told police she had been dating Wade since last May until about a month before the incident, when the two separated.
The victim told police Wade and his friend came to her apartment at 626 Langdon Street on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 3. The victim asked her roommate and Wade’s friend to step outside the room so she could talk to Wade. When Wade refused to talk to her, an argument ensued where the victim pushed Wade, and then he pushed her back.
The victim said she may have pushed him again, but then he choked her. She said she slapped Wade in the face, and they continued to argue until eventually, the victim’s roommate and Wade’s friend separated the two.
The victim’s report states the fight continued in the bathroom of her apartment, where she said Wade choked her a second time and shoved her backwards into the bathtub.
The victim’s roommate told police when the victim came out of the bathroom after arguing with Wade, she had red marks on her neck.
According to the report, the victim told the police, “I think he wanted to show me he could hurt me.”
The victim told police she walked to the emergency room of Meriter Hospital that night to receive treatment for her injuries.
The criminal complaint included a report from a doctor at Meriter Hospital summarizing the victim’s injuries as, “neck contusion secondary to strangulation.”
Wade told police the victim repeatedly tried to hit him and said he never attempted to choke or strangle her.
According to a report in the Capital Times, two of Wade’s former girlfriends believe the victim is exaggerating the incident. One, Tionna Satterwhite, told the Capital Times she concocted a similar story last year out of jealousy, but it was untrue, and no charges were filed.
Wade, the Badger’s starting guard, was suspended from the team after his arrest due to the UW Student-Athlete Discipline Policy. However, after appealing the decision, a university committee decided to restore his eligibility. Wade played in Wednesday’s game, although he did not start.
UW associate athletic director Steve Malchow said Wednesday the decision to reinstate Wade will remain.
“The appeal will stand,” Malchow said.
Neither Wade, nor the victim could be reached for comment.
