Former NFL linebacker Mark Fields arrested in Goodyear

[Lucinda F. Boyd]

Former NFL linebacker Mark Fields was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of beating the mother of his 6-year-old daughter outside a Tutor Time in Goodyear, according to Maricopa County Superior Court documents.

Fields, 37, was arrested about 1 a.m. at his Litchfield Park home, Goodyear police spokesman John Rowan said.

The arrest came after several witnesses told police he beat the woman and put her in a choke hold at about 5:15 p.m. Monday at the child-care facility near Dysart and McDowell roads, court records show.

The woman, Field's ex-girlfriend, was at the Tutor Time to drop off court-ordered paperwork, but while she was there, Fields confronted her outside the front entrance. As the two began arguing, Fields grabbed the woman by the throat and began to choke her, then threw her to the ground and "threatened to kill her," records state.

The woman, who lives in California, had blood on her left arm, bruises and visible scratches, according to records. During the fight, their daughter fell over and hurt her arm.

The fight "caused a disruption in the normal business transactions and educational learning at the facility," court documents said.

Fields was booked into Fourth Avenue Jail on felony counts of aggravated assault and interference with education, and misdemeanor counts of endangerment and disorderly conduct, according to booking documents. He was released early Wednesday after posting $10,000 bond.

Booking documents state Fields has a history of domestic violence and that the frequency and intensity of incidents is increasing.

The couple has been embroiled in an ongoing legal dispute over child custody and accusations of domestic violence. Fields has sole custody of their daughter and the mother has visitation rights.

Fields' two sons live with his ex-wife. They divorced in 2005.

Fields played in the NFL from 1995 to 2004 with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers. His career was cut short by two bouts of Hodgkin's Disease in four years. In 2004, he moved to Arizona, where he now owns a juice business, Juice N Right, LLC, in Avondale.

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