Kings’ Mark Hardy charged with felony sexual abuse

Mark Hardy, a former Kings defenseman and current assistant coach, was arrested early Friday and charged with felony fourth-degree sexual abuse after a complaint by a family member at a hotel in Washington.

Hardy, a Manhattan Beach resident, was taken into custody and appeared before a judge Friday afternoon in the District of Columbia Superior Court. The 51-year-old was released with conditions, including the surrender of his passport and a prohibition against having any physical, verbal or electronic contact with the family member.

He is due to appear in court again June 4.

The Kings issued a statement saying they were aware of the charge and would not comment because of the “legal nature of this matter.” A team spokesman declined to say whether Hardy remains on the payroll or has been suspended or placed on leave.

According to court documents, the person who filed the complaint and Hardy had been at a bar before returning to the Mayflower Hotel. The family member went to sleep and awoke to find Hardy sharing the bed and making inappropriate sexual contact.

Second District police were called and two detectives arrived at 2 a.m.

After being interviewed Hardy was arrested.

It is The Times’ practice not to name alleged sexual abuse victims.

Hardy played for the Kings from 1979-80 through 1987-88 and returned for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. He also played for the New York Rangers and Minnesota North Stars. After he retired as a player, he was a member of the coaching staff of the minor league Long Beach Ice Dogs before joining the Kings as an assistant coach for the 1999-2000 season.

He left after 2005-06 for an assistant coaching job with the Chicago Blackhawks before returning to the Kings in August 2008. He has been in charge of the team’s penalty-killing unit in addition to working closely with the team’s defensemen.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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