Gold medalist Picabo Street is set to appear in court on May 3 for a trial to decide her guilt in an episode of domestic violence that occurred in her Park City home in December.
Street reportedly pushed her father down two flights of stairs and locked him in the basement. Her father, on the other hand, has been accused of physically assaulting Street in the same ordeal.
Team Street is hoping for a speedy trial. Joe Wrona, her attorney, asked to be tried by a judge, instead of a jury, to skip the time-consuming steps of choosing a group of Street's peers, according to the Associated Press.
Street, who at one time maintained that the incident was merely a private family dispute, has changed her tune. Wrona, a new lawyer on her case, states that Street was defending herself during the conflict, CBS reported.
Prosecutor Robert Hilder said that a plea deal was offered to Street that would wipe her record clean, on the condition that she met certain provisions. Street turned the deal down.
Police documents released in January said that Street admitted to locking her father, Roland "Stubby" Street, in the basement after pushing him, according to Fox News. She called the authorities shortly thereafter.
Street claimed that the dispute arose on Dec. 23 when Roland, in his car, collided with the side of his daughter's house. The conflict escalated inside when, in the presence of her Street's children, her father pulled her hair.
Roland told police that Picabo took him by the shoulder and pushed him down two flights of stairs. Police noted that there were cuts on Roland's elbow and neck.
Jason Richards, Street's attorney at the time, said that his client denies any responsibility in the incident that she regards as a private family dispute, according to the New York Daily News. Richards had been optimistic about a plea deal at the time, but those hopes have been dashed.
Street faces three counts of misdemeanor domestic violence in the presence of a child and one count of misdemeanor assault. Each count caries a potential jail term of six months.
Street joined the U.S. Ski Team at the age of 17. She won a silver medal in the downhill at the 1994 Winter Olympics. A year later, she became the first American woman to win a World Cup skiing title (she won in the downhill).
Street's career culminated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, where she won a gold medal in the women's Super-G event. A month after the win, she careened off course during the last World Cup downhill race of the season, breaking her femur and tearing a ligament in her right knee. She stayed in rehabilitation for two years after the accident.
