Matthew Ammel, the ex-boyfriend and former bodyguard of former Senator Kyrsten Sinema, was taken into custody again for allegedly breaking his release conditions in a case involving damage to Sinema’s Valley home.
According to court filings, Ammel, 39, entered Sinema’s Cave Creek house while she was away in August and removed 22 high-end paintings from her walls before hurling them into the backyard pool.
Ammel then allegedly started destroying many costly alcohol bottles, costing around $200,000 in damage.
According to court filings, Ammel suffers from mental health difficulties. He was detained, charged with criminal damage, and released on electronic monitoring.
As part of his release conditions, Ammel was prohibited from contacting the victim in person, through a third party, or via social media. He was also instructed not to own any firearms.
Weeks later, Ammel was detained again for allegedly breaking the terms.
During his initial appearance, Ammel looked to be unaware of why he was arrested.
“Can you tell me what I did?” Ammel stated.
The judge informed Ammel that he allegedly owned a big military-style knife and sought an acquaintance to contact the victim on his behalf.
Ammel explained that the knife was a gift for a family member.
“To have it engraved for my nephew to graduate from Marine Corps boot camp,” he said.
“I am sorry; you should not have had a firearm. The judge said, “It’s not a particularly interesting fact.”
Ammel then urged the judge to tell him who contacted the victim. The judge cut him off mid-sentence.
“I cannot tell you,” he said. “I gave you all the information I have on the warrant.”
The judge set a $25,000 secured appearance bond, and Ammel was brought to the county jail.
The initial appearance occurred early Wednesday morning.
The next day, Ammel was supposed to appear in court for the lawsuit regarding the damage to Sinema’s home, but he did not. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office stated that Ammel refused to be transferred.
The judge then ordered that Ammel be brought to court using whatever means necessary, including force.
Ammel’s rescheduled hearing is planned for two weeks from now.
At the same time, Sinema is facing a homewrecker lawsuit in North Carolina, which was brought by Ammel’s ex-wife, who alleges Sinema damaged her marriage.
Sinema and Ammel had a covert affair while Ammel was still married to another lady.
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