Dwight Howard’s lawyer calls felony child abuse allegations baseless

NBA star Dwight Howard is being investigated for alleged felony child abuse in Georgia, police confirmed to The Times.

A case against the former Lakers center, who is now with the Houston Rockets, was originally opened Oct. 1, but was set aside when leads ran out, said Sgt. Dana Pierce, a spokesman for Cobb County, Georgia police.

But in the last 48 hours, police received information or evidence that prompted them to reopen the case, Pierce said.

“We will methodically process this case,” Pierce said.

While the alleged abuse occurred in Cobb County, the allegations were reported in Florida. Florida authorities then contacted Cobb County to investigate, Pierce said.

Oscar Markus, Howard’s attorney, said in a statement the case was closed in Florida in September, and Royce Reed, his son’s mother, “is now shopping her baseless allegations to authorities in Georgia.”

“We are confident the Georgia authorities will reach the same conclusion as the Florida authorities,” Markus said in the statement. “The truth is on our side.”

Howard was born in Atlanta and began his professional career playing for the Orlando Magic.

Howard played a single season with the Lakers in 2012.

Attempts to reach the Rockets for comment were unsuccessful.

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