UNC defensive back Don Chapman arrested for assault and battery

Content warning: This article contains mentions of domestic violence and suicide.

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Update Sept. 8, 7:15 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect additional details about the situation. 

North Carolina senior defensive back Don Chapman was arrested in the early hours of Sept. 8 and charged with domestic trespassing, assault on a female and misdemeanor battery of an unborn child, the Chatham County Clerk of Court's office confirmed to The Daily Tar Heel on Thursday.

The charges went before the magistrate to be issued at 2:35 a.m., per the Chatham County Clerk of Court’s office. Each charge is an A1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of 150 days in custody if found guilty.

“We’ve been made aware of a situation involving one of our student-athletes and we’re working to gather more information,” a UNC football team spokesperson said.

Chapman appeared in court just before 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, where more details of the altercation were revealed. 

In the early hours of Sept. 8, Chapman was at the residence of a woman in Durham, with whom he shares a lease. According to Hathaway Pendergrass, the district court judge for Chatham and Orange counties, the woman made a suicidal threat with a firearm, which Chapman dispatched when the alleged assault occurred. 

After the appearance, Pendergrass obliged to the pretrial release assessment, which granted Chapman's release with a written promise that he would not contact the woman and keep a 1,000 foot distance. The woman appeared in court shortly after and was also granted a release with a written promise to appear in court and maintain no contact. 

Chapman will have another court appearance on Oct. 19. 

The woman, who was charged in Durham County with simple assault, a class two misdemeanor, will appear in court on Sept. 14. Her charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 days in custody.

Chapman started all 11 games he played in the 2020 season and has been a regular contributor to North Carolina’s safety unit in each of the past three seasons. He recorded three tackles in the team’s season opener against Florida A&M on Aug. 27 but did not play in UNC’s 63-61 win at App State last weekend.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates. 

@hunternelson_1 

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com