Qwenton J. Freeman, 22, pleaded not guilty to a single misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault in Municipal Court on Monday morning, marking his second court appearance before Judge Don Louden in a week.
Louden set bail at $250, and Freeman was released from the Missoula County Detention Facility at 5 p.m. Monday.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Municipal Court, Freeman choked the woman and hit her in the head. He also pulled her hair and threw her to the ground outside the apartment building.
The woman had evidence of physical injuries on her neck and hands, according to records.
Several of Freeman's neighbors told authorities they witnessed the assault. The three witnesses said they initially heard Freeman yelling at Hunter, who was also yelling and screaming for help. The woman eventually ran to one neighbor's house and pounded on the door for assistance.
Freeman was previously arrested on June 24 and charged with disorderly conduct, after allegedly throwing a beer bottle at a man outside a downtown bar. He was dismissed from the football team following that arrest, for not adhering to disciplinary guidelines.
UM officials said they handed Freeman those guidelines after California authorities came to town and alleged Freeman had witnessed another teammate, Jimmy Wilson, shoot a man to death last month in the Los Angeles area.
The detectives said Freeman was unwilling to cooperate with their investigation of the murder, despite “strict orders to fully cooperate with law enforcement officers,” according to a statement from UM officials.
He could eventually face charges in connection with the murder, investigators said.
Meanwhile, local authorities are looking into another incident that occurred on June 23 and may also have involved Freeman - witnesses say he slapped a 24-year-old Missoula woman outside of the same downtown bar where the alleged bottle-throwing incident occurred.
The woman and her sister said they had an altercation with Freeman outside Stockman's Bar. The women gave statements to police last week, but asked that their names be withheld from news articles while the investigation continues.
Assistant City Attorney Judy Wang said Freeman has not been charged in that case to the best of her knowledge.
“That may still be something that's in the investigation stage, or in the referral stage, but I don't currently see any other charges of assault,” Wang said.
Freeman first attended Pasadena City College in California, then signed to play football for the University of Washington. After failing to meet academic requirements there, he transferred to the University of Arizona, where he practiced with the football team in the fall of 2005, but was never listed on the roster.
In April 2006, Freeman was arrested for misdemeanor assault and criminal trespassing by the University of Arizona Police Department after shoving and threatening a woman inside a campus dormitory. He currently has a warrant for his arrest out of Tucson, Ariz., where the offense occurred.
James “Jimmy” Leon Wilson is scheduled to appear for his arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 9.
Wilson remains in custody at a Los Angeles County detention facility on a $2 million bail amount. He, too, played cornerback for the Grizzlies last season.
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