BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Former Indianapolis Colts lineman and radio personality Joseph Staysniak has taken a plea agreement in his strangulation and battery case.
Under the agreement, Staysniak pleaded guilty Aug. 23 to one count of battery and had the strangulation charge and a second battery charge against him dropped.
Staysniak avoided any additional jail time and will serve almost a year on probation. As part of the probation, he will be required to complete anger control counseling and an evaluation for substance abuse treatment, according to online court records.
The case comes from a Feb. 20 incident where police were called to Staysniak's home in Brownsburg.
According to court records, Staysniak confronted his son and another person in a car in his driveway. Staysniak allegedly pulled the hoodie of the person, which choked him. That person told police that Staysniak had a gun and put it against the side of his face. He also said Staysniak hit him and punched his son.
Staysniak's son allegedly told police that his father punched him in the mouth and that he saw his father grab the person's hood, choking him.
Staysniak told police he did not realize who was in the car when he approached it. He denied touching the individual in the car with his son and claimed his son came after him. He said when he pushed his son away, his son was bleeding in his mouth. Staysniak said his son attacked him, and he had to restrain his son until his wife separated them.
“The details of what transpired will come out in the courtroom, but we are completely confident that Joe’s actions will be conclusively determined to be legal & justified under the circumstances," Guy Relford, Staysniak's attorney, said in a release at the time of his client's arrest.