LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A judge fined Hall of Fame jockey Robby Albarado $500 Tuesday morning after a jury found him guilty of wanton assault in a domestic violence case in July.
The charge is also called 4th degree assault and is a misdemeanor.
The Jefferson District Court jury reached its verdict in mid-July after deliberating a little over four hours. The judge could not impose a stronger sentence than the $500 fine the jury recommended.
During a hearing scheduled in November, the judge will determine whether Albarado's probation should be revoked. (In 2011, Albarado faced similar charges after a domestic dispute with his ex-wife. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempting to interfere with a witness and is on unsupervised probation, which could be revoked after the guilty verdict in the current case.)
During the latest trial, the alleged victim told jurors she got into an argument at Albarado's home in Louisville in late April after she discovered he was cheating.
She says Albarado attacked her after she went through his cell phone and listened to a voicemail from another woman.
The prosecution called several witnesses, including a detective, and doctors who testified about the woman's injuries.
Albarado did not take the stand in his own defense, and his attorney called only one witness: a friend of Albarado who testified about the couple's relationship.
In the closing arguments of the trial, the defense team reiterated that the plaintiff barged into Albarado's home without being invited.
"On this occasion, there's no text, there's no phone call, there's no knock, there's no door bell," said defense attorney David Lambertus. "In she comes. And he's in bed. He's alone in the place, he's alone in bed."
Albarado was arrested on assault charges on the morning of the Kentucky Oaks and was subsequently suspended from riding at any licensed horse racing track in the state. He missed mounts on Oaks and Derby Day as a result.
After his arrest, he was suspended from racing by a committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, but that action later was blocked by a judge, allowing him to continue riding.
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