CINCINNATI — A misdemeanor menacing charge against Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon was dismissed Friday.
The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office requested that the aggravated menacing charge against Mixon be dismissed, according to a filing issued Friday afternoon.
“We need additional investigation before we would move forward with this case,” a prosecutor told county judge Curt Kissinger, according to WCPO-TV.
The prosecutor said the victim understood the need to dismiss the case and would be in favor of moving forward with the charge if it needs to be refiled.
The dismissal comes one day after county officials authorized a warrant for Mixon stemming from the incident that allegedly occurred on Jan. 21, one day before the Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
According to the complaint filed on Thursday, police claim that Mixon pointed a firearm at a woman, which is a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio. Hours after the paperwork was filed and the warrant was issued, Mixon’s agent told ESPN that he expected the charges to be dropped Friday morning.
“I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges — because of the damage that can be done to the person’s reputation — to do their work,” said Peter Schaffer, who represents Mixon.
In a statement issued Friday to local news outlets, the Cincinnati Police Department admitted to a protocol lapse that led to the case being reassigned within its department after a directive was not followed.
“Understanding that this particular case possibly involved a ‘high-profile individual,’ supervision from CPD instructed the case investigator to submit the case for a cursory review before any possible charge was filed to ensure completeness of the investigation,” the statement said.
CPD also said that despite the dismissal on Friday, new evidence has been recovered and an ongoing investigation is still permitted.
“Once all evidence is fully examined, criminal charges can be refiled at a later date,” the statement said.
Mixon has been with the Bengals since 2017, when Cincinnati drafted him in the second round following his college career at Oklahoma. During his time with the Sooners, Mixon was suspended for one season and entered a plea agreement involving a misdemeanor assault case for punching a woman after the alleged use of a racial slur.
Mixon, 26, is not believed to have had any other litigation against him during his time in the NFL. In 2020, he signed a four-year contract extension worth $48 million and was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2021 season.