‘Clueless’ Star Stacey Dash Says Domestic Battery Arrest Stemmed From ’Marital Dispute’

Zachary Stieber
10/1/2019
Updated:
10/1/2019
Actress Stacey Dash said that her domestic battery arrest stemmed from a “marital dispute.”

Dash, 52, was arrested in Florida on Sept. 29 for domestic battery against her husband, Jeffrey Marty. According to a police report, Dash and Marty got into a verbal argument and Dash pushed him, slapped him, and scratched him.

She was later released.

Sean P. Jackson, Dash’s manager, said that Dash became physical because Marty was choking her.

“Stacey actually called the police because she was attacked by her husband. He choked her and she was defending herself,” Jackson told People magazine. “When the police arrived, they couldn’t see any physical marks on her, but they did see them on him.”

He said police officers later found marks on Dash’s neck. Police have not confirmed that as of yet.

Dash said in a statement following the arrest that she and her husband “had a marital dispute” at their house in Port Richie.

“No charges were pressed by her husband, however, Deputies arrested Ms. Dash peacefully, as a formality. Ms. Dash’s husband appeared in court today, September 30th, on her behalf and Ms. Dash was released from the Land O’ Lakes detention facility. No further legal action is pending,” the statement read.

“The marital dispute, while personal and unfortunate, has since been blown out of proportion. An earlier report on TMZ.com said her manager told TMZ that she was attacked by her husband—both the sources relationship [sic] to Ms. Dash and the events of the evening were misrepresented.”

“Ms. Dash is a domestic abuse survivor from a previous relationship and has championed for other abuse victims to speak up,” the statement added. “The untruthfulness being reported saddens Ms. Dash and her family—no further comments will be made and we ask that Ms. Dash and her family’s privacy will be respected.”

In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, Stacey Dash attends the "American Sniper" premiere in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, Stacey Dash attends the "American Sniper" premiere in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
TMZ reported on the situation citing a Nick Terry, which it identified as Dash’s manager. An unidentified source cited by the outlet said Marty attacked Dash first and she acted in self-defense.

“We’re told Stacey is the one who called 911, and she was arrested because she didn’t have any marks on her but her husband did,” the entertainment website reported.

Dash told a dispatcher in a 911 call that Marty choked her, according to audio obtained by the New York Post.

“We were all arguing, I asked his daughter to get out of my face, she was in my face. I pushed her back and he put me into a chokehold,” she said, having told the dispatcher she’d been “assaulted by [her] husband.”

The fight started as Dash tried to get her stepdaughter to do homework.

The arrest was captured on body camera footage.

Dash seemed stunned to be handcuffed by a police officer, asking, “What are you doing?”

The officer makes small talk with Dash as he detains her and eventually places her in a police cruiser and takes her to get booked.