Misdemeanor charges against Charles Oakley officially dismissed
Charles Oakley coaching in a BIG3 professional 3-on-3 basketball game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, 2017. Credit: Corey Sipkin
The five misdemeanor charges that Charles Oakley was facing as a result of his scuffle with Madison Square Garden security guards a year ago were officially dismissed in a Manhattan court on Friday as part of an agreement the former Knick reached in August.
That deal — technically called an adjournment in contemplation of a dismissal — called for all the misdemeanor charges of assault, harassment and trespassing to be dropped as long as Oakley remained out of trouble for six months.
The agreement, however, still stipulates that Oakley has to stay away from Madison Square Garden for another six months.
“He has no interest in going there, anyway,” Oakley attorney Alex Spiro said.
Oakley was arrested at the Feb. 8, 2017 Knicks game against the Los Angeles Clippers when an altercation with security guards trying to remove him from his seat turned physical.
Oakley also currently is suing Madison Square Garden and executive chairman and chief executive officer James Dolan in federal court, accusing them of making defamatory, libelous and slanderous comments in the wake of the incident.
An MSG spokeswoman said: “MSG and its employees acknowledge Mr. Oakley has fulfilled his agreement with the court.”
Jim Baumbach is an award-winning investigative reporter at Newsday, where he has worked since 1998. He also is the student newspaper adviser at St. John's University.