Former “Glee” star Naya Rivera has been charged with domestic battery against her husband, actor Ryan Dorsey.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday that the previous night, a deputy was dispatched to an address in Chesapeake, West Virginia, a small town outside Charleston where Dorsey, 34, was raised. Dorsey told the deputy Rivera had “struck him in the head and face,” and the officer “saw minor injuries consistent with his statement.” Additionally, Dorsey supplied a video that supported his account of the incident.
Rivera, 30, who played cheerleader-turned-singer-actress Santana Lopez on “Glee,” was arraigned at Kanawha County Magistrate Court and charged with domestic battery. Dorsey said in his criminal complaint that Rivera struck him on the head and bottom lip while they were walking with their son, Josey, 2, according to Charleston television station WCHS.
In a video of the arraignment, posted by the station, a magistrate asks, “Are you Naya Marie Riviera?,” mispronouncing her last name. “Rivera, yeah,” she answers softly.
According to Huntington, West Virginia TV station WSAZ, the arraignment occurred after midnight early Sunday. After bail was set at $1,000, Rivera was reportedly released on a personal-recognizance bond, in which the bail amount is waived if the suspect is not considered a flight risk. Deputies told WSAZ Rivera’s father-in-law picked her up from the courthouse.
Rivera and Dorsey were wed in July 2014 in a small, private ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Last November, they jointly announced that, “After much consideration, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” adding, “Our priority is and always will be our beautiful son that we share together. We will continue to be great co-parenting partners for him.” Rivera had filed for divorce the previous week, according to court records obtained by TMZ.com at the time.
The couple was spending Thanksgiving weekend in Chesapeake with Dorsey’s family, TMZ added. It was unclear if the two had reconciled, or are estranged but co-parenting together for the holiday. No divorce has been finalized.
On Oct. 4, Rivera had posted an Instagram image of herself and Dorsey happily together with Josey, standing between two people dressed as Cookie Monster and Elmo from “Sesame Street.”
Glee actress Naya Rivera arrested on domestic battery charge. Full story on https://t.co/gLqggB15yU pic.twitter.com/YqlflJ23T6
— Kalea Gunderson (@KaleaWCHS) November 26, 2017
More information to come.
