Stacey Dash pleaded not guilty to a sole domestic violence charge on Wednesday, October 2, following her arrest for engaging in a verbal altercation with her husband, Jeffrey Marty.
Dash, 52, requested to secure a trial by jury, according to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight. According to the news outlet, the Clueless actress stated in the legal docs that she “cannot afford to hire a lawyer” and would “want the court to appoint one for me.”
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Us Weekly that Dash was arrested at around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, September 29. An argument between Dash and Marty commenced in an apartment in New Port Richey, Florida, where the former Fox News personality reportedly attacked Marty by pushing him and slapping him in the face.
After her arrest, Dash’s criminal defense attorney spouse bailed her out from the Pasco County Jail in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, via a bondsman for $500.
Dash’s representatives released a statement on her behalf on September 30. The update confirmed that a “marital dispute” occurred, which resulted in Pasco County deputies being called to the scene. The statement additionally noted that the actress was arrested “peacefully, as a formality,” adding that “no charges were pressed by her husband.”
“Ms. Dash is a domestic abuse survivor from a previous relationship and has championed for other abuse victims to speak up,” the statement continued. “The untruthfulness being reported saddens Ms. Dash and her family.”
The statement noted that Marty “appeared in court” on September 30 on Dash’s behalf and “no further legal action is pending” after her release from jail.
Dash wed Marty in April 2018 after connecting for the first time 10 days prior. This is the star’s fourth marriage after producer Brian Lovell (1999 to 2005), entrepreneur James Maby (2005 to 2006) and actor Emmanuel Xuereb (2009 to 2011).
The There Goes My Life author also shares a 27-year-old son, Austin, with ex-boyfriend Christopher Williams, and 16-year-old daughter, Lola, with Lovell.
Dash has never shied away from detailing her struggles publicly. The actress, who withdrew from the congressional race for California’s 44th district in March 2018, previously told The Guardian that she was blackballed from Hollywood for her conservative views.
“You’re tolerated only if you fit their liberal profile,” she told the publication in March 2018. “I’ve been blacklisted. I don’t even get to auditions.”
She furthered by sharing the challenges of identifying a black Republican, adding: “Because I’m black, I’m supposed to, therefore, be a Democrat, which is absurd. They’re supposed to be the party of tolerance. I don’t see any tolerance. I’ve made a choice to stand up for what I believe in and don’t think I should be condemned.”
