More details have emerged about the domestic violence complaint against 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, including a previously unreported allegation that he threw his ex-girlfriend’s dog across a room.
Although Foster, who is charged with three felonies, is not facing any type of animal cruelty charges, the Sacramento Bee reports that Foster’s ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, told police he threw her dog across a room during an argument. The dog was not injured.
Ennis told police that Foster hit her 10 times and smashed her phone as she was calling 911. Police charged him with a felony domestic violence charge, a felony charge of attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and a felony charge for possessing an assault weapon. Ennis later said through her attorney that she made up the story about him hitting her because she was angry at him.
However, prosecutors did not drop the charges after Ennis recanted, and there are other witnesses, including a driver Ennis flagged down who allowed Ennis to use her phone to call 911, and a friend Ennis called from that driver’s phone. Police also say that Foster admitted he broke phones belonging to Ennis on two separate occasions.
And even if Foster can’t be convicted of the domestic violence charge because Ennis recanted her claim, when police responded to the scene they found a Sig Sauer short-barreled rifle on the floor of the bathroom with a loaded 30-round magazine and a round in the chamber. So the case against Foster goes beyond just the word of one accuser.
Foster has a court date Tuesday morning in connection with the case.