January 10, 2015
MIAMI - George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer acquitted in a fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in 2013, was charged with aggravated assault on Saturday after his arrest in connection with a domestic disturbance in Florida.
Zimmerman, wearing a blue jumpsuit and handcuffs, appeared before Florida Circuit Judge John D. Galluzzo who offered him a $5,000 bond, ordered him to turn over any firearms and restricted his travel to Seminole County in central Florida.
“Anywhere else in the state and we have a problem,” the judge said.
Zimmerman’s lawyer, Don West, could not immediately be reached for comment but in a report by Bay News 9 West claims Zimmerman threw a wine bottle during an incident with a girlfriend. Zimmerman will be arraigned on Feb. 17.
In February 2012, Zimmerman gained national notoriety by claiming he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, 17, during a neighborhood watch patrol in Sanford, Florida.
His trial and acquittal in 2013 polarized the U.S. public on issues of race, gun laws and drew international attention to Florida's "stand your ground" law.
Zimmerman has since had several brushes with the law.
Police in central Florida arrested him in November 2013 after he allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend during an argument. A month later, prosecutors dropped the charges, saying his girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, withdrew allegations.
Zimmerman was also stopped for speeding in Texas and Florida.
In June, a Florida judge ruled against a libel lawsuit brought by Zimmerman against NBC Universal, saying the network did not maliciously seek to portray him as a racist when it edited a phone call he made to police before he shot Martin.
