Ex-Olympian to argue self-defense in domestic violence case
This December, 2015 law enforcement booking photo provided by the Summit County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office shows former Olympic gold medalist skier Picabo Street. AP File photo
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—A lawyer for Olympic gold-medalist skier Picabo Street said Thursday that she was defending herself during a December fight with her father and will demand a jury trial on domestic violence and assault charges.
Attorney Joe Wrona said that the ex-Olympian called 911 for help after her father attacked her, and she doesn’t plan to strike a plea deal with prosecutors.
“We’re not interested in a sweetheart deal. We’re interested in being vindicated at trial,” he said.
Street is accused of throwing her 76-year-old father down the stairs and locking him in the basement during a fight at her home near Park City, Utah, on Dec. 23.
Street, 44, told 911 dispatchers that she “put” her father Roland Street down the stairs after he pulled her hair and scratched her face, according to a recording of the call. Her mother can be heard in the background disputing that version of what happened.
Picabo Street told dispatchers her dad started the fight after he bumped his car into her house in snowy weather and she tried to help dig it out so her parents could use her car.
Prosecutors say an investigation found Picabo Street was the primary aggressor. Roland Street has not been charged in the fight near Park City, Utah. Summit County prosecutor Ivy Telles didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.
Roland Street told police his daughter got angry and started yelling after he hit the house while trying to leave, documents show. He said the physical altercation broke out after they re-entered the house and she pushed him down two flights of stairs. Police saw cuts on Roland Street’s elbow and neck.
Picabo Street is facing three counts of misdemeanor domestic violence in the presence of a child and one count of misdemeanor assault. A hearing is set for Tuesday.
Picabo Street had an illustrious skiing career highlighted by a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in the women’s super-G event. She also won silver in the downhill at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and competed in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
She was the first American woman to win the World Cup downhill season title in 1995, and she repeated as champion the next season. She totaled nine downhill victories in World Cup races during her career.
More recently, she worked as an analyst for Fox Sports during the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi, Russia.
