Former UCSB Soccer Player Pleads Not Guilty
Peter McGlynn Accused of Battery on a Sports Official
Former UCSB soccer player Peter McGlynn pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery on a sports official, Deputy District Attorney Gary Gemberling said Wednesday afternoon. McGlynn wasn’t present for the hearing, but a lawyer — standing in for his private defense attorney, Tara Haaland-Ford — entered the plea on his behalf.
McGlynn is accused of shoving a referee to the ground after the Gauchos’s 2-1 overtime loss to UC Davis late last month. The incident was caught on camera and will be used as evidence, but that doesn’t guarantee a guilty verdict, explained Gemberling. “Having video evidence is always beneficial in proving a case,” he said, “but with any piece of evidence, there can be different interpretations.”
If convicted, McGlynn faces a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A typical battery conviction — not on a sports official — carries a six-month sentence. A senior from Ireland, McGlynn was cut from UCSB’s soccer team shortly after the confrontation and is scheduled to be back in court January 8, 2013.
