Matt Barnaby Arrested for DWI and Fired from ESPN, Now Faces Deportation (VIDEO)
Former ESPN hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby could be deported to Canada because of his drunk driving and subsequent arrest this week Monday.
The former Buffalo Sabre was already fired from ESPN for his latest transgression, but more misfortune may be on the way. Earlier this year, Barnaby was arrested for domestic violence charges against his ex-wife. The resulting agreement stipulated that if he committed another crime, potential deportation could be the result.
The court agreement reached is called an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning that the Ottawa-born Barnaby had to avoid trouble for a year before the charges were erased. His erratic, intoxicated driving violated the ACD.
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Matthew Barnaby to Now Face Deportation?Even if someone only “allegedly [commits] another crime, you put your ACD in jeopardy,” Erie County District Attorney Frank Serdita told AP. Barnaby’s five misdemeanors in the case with his ex-wife in May could have been dropped, were it not for the DWI.
Monday around 3 a.m., an unknown driver spotted a badly damaged Porsche Cayenne unpredictably veering on and off a suburban road in Buffalo. The expensive SUV was “missing a front tire [and] driving on the rim,” the caller told Capt. Ron Kenyon of the Erie County Sherriff’s Department, as well as, “swerving side to side,” reports WGRZ-TV.
Police managed to track the caller’s whereabouts, and caught up to Barnaby not long afterwards. The former NHL player was cooperative in being removed from his smashed vehicle, but refused a breathalyzer test. After Barnaby failed the standard sobriety tests, his license was revoked, and he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Although Barnaby was only behind bars for a short while, the news broke quickly. ESPN issued a statement less than a day later, saying the sports channel had “terminated its contract with Barnaby, effective immediately.”
As for the possible deportation consequences, most immigration laws cite domestic violence and aggravated felony as reasons for removal from the United States. Even though Barnaby has not been charged with these crimes, the violation of his ACD still puts him at risk to be expelled from the states.
Despite the charges, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Ross Feinstein said that the department has not yet contacted Barnaby regarding his most recent indiscretion.
