By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Armein Kirkland will not be suspended from the University of Cincinnati basketball team following his arrest Saturday on misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and assault.

UC athletic director Bob Goin said he met with the sophomore guard and head coach Bob Huggins Monday and decided to impose restrictions on Kirkland. He would not say what those restrictions are, but did confirm that Kirkland had not been suspended.

Kirkland, 19, from Tyler, Texas, pleaded innocent to charges that he grabbed his 17-year-old girlfriend by the throat and slapped her in the face during an argument at an apartment they shared in Price Hill.

He was ordered to stay away from the girl, who was also charged in the incident.

The Enquirer does not name juveniles charged in crimes.

Kirkland faces a pretrial hearing Aug. 14 in Hamilton County Municipal Court. If convicted, he could face six months in jail.

Mary Jill Donovan, Kirkland's attorney, declined to comment on the case and said she instructed Kirkland not to comment publicly.

"He told me his story," Goin said of Kirkland. "I've placed some restrictions on him that I'm not going to share with anyone. We're going to let this thing play its way out and see if what he told me actually occurred and let the judge make the call.

"His story to me is that he has no guilt, and he's ready to take it as far as he has to. He said he did no damage to that girl."

---

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com