The 'Bachelorette' alum's attorney released a statement to ET about Johnson's decision.
Chad Johnson pleaded not guilty in his domestic violence case.
The Bachelorette alum's attorney, Action Lavitch, tells ET in an exclusive statement that Johnson is looking forward to "preserving his presumption of innocence and clearing his name of the charges."
"Yesterday, we took an important step in preserving Mr. Johnson’s innocence by entering a plea of not guilty at his arraignment hearing," the statement begins. "After a brief closure of the courts, operations resumed Friday morning. With dozens of essential cases needing to be addressed, very few courtrooms were open with limited staff. While it’s certainly understandable that individuals’ constitutional rights need to be upheld, the health and welfare of the court staff, judges and lawyers should remain an immediate focus."
"While the future of Mr. Johnson’s case may be prevented from moving forward as quickly as we would like, we are working closely with the courts to ensure that Mr. Johnson’s case remains a top priority and his rights remain protected," the statement continues. "Our next court date has been continued until May 2020, which is not a typical timeline for a case matter of this nature; general continuances are scheduled within four weeks to keep cases moving expeditiously. We anticipate many matters before the court will be delayed or postponed until the safety of the public is no longer a concern."
The statement ends by saying, "Mr. Johnson and I look forward to preserving his presumption of innocence and clearing his name of the charges that were brought against him."
Johnson was taken into custody on Feb. 24 in Van Nuys, California. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told ET that Johnson was arrested for alleged robbery with a domestic violence enhancement.
According to reports, the incident stemmed from a dispute with his girlfriend, Annalise Mishler, and the robbery charge was in relation to Mishler's claims that Johnson took her phone away from her and broke it. Johnson disputed Mishler's recollection of events in an earlier video posted to his Instagram.
A couple days later, Johnson was hospitalized after posting a couple of concerning posts. After being released, he took to his Instagram Story to let people know that he was doing fine alongside an uplifting message.
"I'm okay. Things are fine. I love you," he wrote in black text over a photo of what appears to be someone's living room. "I love you. You'll be great. Life is going to be okay. Forgive yourself. Let go."
For more on Johnson, see below.
Reporting by Brendon Geoffrion.
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