Real Housewives of Orange CountystarGina Kirschenheiter‘s estranged husband, Matt Kirschenheiter, pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic violence and false imprisonment Friday,The Blastreported.
The father of three is facing up to four years imprisonment for domestic violence and an additional three for false imprisonment, the outlet added.
“The charges are just that, they’re just allegations. These type of cases, domestic violence type cases when there are are no independent witnesses, it’s a 1:1 situation and it really comes down to a credibility call,” Matt’s attorney, Ed Welbourn, tells PEOPLE in a statement.
“Matt is a great dad, always has been. He’s a hardworking guy, has always provided for them. He’s an incredibly good person, and he’s very respected in the community,” Wilbourn says. “There’s also a divorce proceeding going on, he has unmonitored visitation — a decision that was made before this alleged incident. If Gina or the judge thought he was a danger, they would have not agreed to that. He’s not a violent person, he doesn’t have a history of that. He maintains his innocence and looks forward to the truth coming out and his day in court.”
Matt allegedly “inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition” upon Gina, 35, during the June 22 incident, the outlet reported.
Matthew Kirschenheiter.Orange County Jail
PEOPLE previously reported thatMatt was arrested, taken into custody and booked in an Orange County, California, jail on Saturday, June 22, according to online jail records.
He was allegedly arrested on charges relating to domestic violence,The Blastreported. Matt was released the next morning at around 1 a.m., according to jail records, and his bail was set at $0. At the time, a court date had not yet been set and he had not yet been charged with a crime.
His arrest came just two days before Gina reportedly filed a request for a protective order against her husband. According toThe Blast, she asked a court for an emergency hearing to address allegations of domestic violence amid their divorce.
Gina Kirschenheiter/Instagram
In the documents,she alleged that Matt choked her, hit her, dragged her, threw her, and threatened to kill her — all while their three young kids were sleeping in the other room — during an early morning fight at her house that led to his arrest.
Gina and Matt met before they graduated from college. They were together for 11 years and married for eight before she filed for divorce last year. In court documents, their separation date is listed as April 3, 2018.
They share three children: sons Nicholas, 7, and Luca, 4, as well as daughter Sienna, 5.
Currently, the couple is fighting over the terms of their ongoing divorce and are next due in court on Oct. 10.
source: people.com
