LANCASTER, P.A. --- On Tuesday night, a 2016 video released by the Corpus Christi Police Department in Texas purportedly shows recently signed Lancaster Barnstormers outfielder Danry Vasquez striking and dragging a woman in a stairwell.
General Manager Mike Reynolds said the video was released shortly before seven Tuesday night.
Before ten the same evening, Reynolds says they announced the release of Vasquez on a Facebook post.
Reynolds says Vasquez "never put on a Barnstormers uniform" nor did he "ever step foot in Lancaster."
"He was signed to come to spring training and try out for the club for the upcoming season," said Reynolds.
After seeing the video, Reynolds said he and team officials agreed immediate action needed to be taken.
"Half of our front office staff are females, many of us are married with wives...I have two young daughters. That is just not something that we will accept, that we will tolerate, that we want part of either the Barnstormers organization or the Lancaster County community," said Reynolds.
Bonnie Glover, director of Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County, said she applauds the move by the Barnstormers organization.
"They're willing to make a statement, regardless of his role on the team, that if you're caught or if you're doing domestic violence, it's not going to be tolerated in our community," said Glover.
According to officials with the Nueces County District Attorney's Office in Texas, Vasquez was arrested on a misdemeanor for the incident in August 2016.
Prosecutors came to a pre-trial diversion agreement in February 2017, resulting in the equivalent to a year-long probation for Vasquez.
Officials say the woman involved did not want to go forward with the case, leaving prosecutors limited in their subpoena power since she did not live in Texas.
Prosecutors say Vasquez completed treatment referred by the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Juvenile Abuse Policy of the Minor Leagues in February 2018, as part of the diversion agreement.
The case was dismissed in March 2018.
Reynolds said they were told about an "altercation" regarding Vasquez but did not have access to the video at the time of his signing and went through their normal vetting process for Vasquez.
"Clearly, that turned out to be inaccurate information for us," said Reynolds.
He also said in light of the incident, they will be changing to a more thorough vetting process of players, including multiple members of the organization utilizing vetting resources available to them.