Gloria James, the mother of NBA superstar LeBron James was arrested on misdemeanor assault and disorderly intoxication charges April 7 at the upscale Fontainebleau resort in Miami Beach.
According to radaronline.com, the altercation occurred between Gloria and a parking valet attendant, Sorel Rockefeller, who works for a private company that is contracted by the resort to do their valet parking.
Gloria, who was “apparently intoxicated,” got into a verbal argument with Rockefeller after complaining that it was taking too long for her black SUV to be delivered. Gloria then smacked Rockefeller in the face.
A copy of the police report filed by the arresting officer explains in detail the events that transpired during the altercation.
“After a short while, according to the victim and witnesses, the arrestee (Gloria) confronted the valet employee and stated ‘Where are my f—ing keys?’ and continued telling profanities at the victim, all while the victim tried to explain to the arrestee that he waited for her for 30 minutes, but could not wait any longer,” wrote the officer. “Then for no apparent reason, the arrestee struck the victim with an open hand across the right side of his face, and in the process causing herself to lose her balance and falling to the ground.”
Gloria was subsequently handcuffed and arrested in front of a large crowd and charged with misdemeanor simple battery and disorderly intoxication. Gloria, who was supposedly uncooperative throughout the arrest, was later released on her own recognizance and promised to appear in court at a later date.
Rockefeller has reportedly already consulted a lawyer about the altercation and may soon be filing a lawsuit.
According to reports, this isn’t Gloria’s first run-in with the law. In January 2006, she was arrested in Akron, Ohio, for DUI. Later, in May of the same year, she pleaded no contest to four charges stemming from the incident and subsequently paid $550 in fines and damages, performed 100 hours of community service and attended a class on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
What do you think about the altercation? Did Gloria just slap away a hefty piece of her fortune? –nicholas robinson
