Domestic violence charges against Leighton Vander Esch's father dropped in Idaho County

The criminal charges against former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch‘s father, Darwin, have been dropped, per TMZ. He was arrested in Idaho this past December on charges that included felony attempted strangulation.

The charges were dismissed last Thursday, according to Idaho County court records obtained by TMZ. Prosectors said the alleged victim — Leighton Vander Esch’s mom, Sandy — informed them she no longer wished to pursue the case.

“She stated that she is not in fear of the defendant,” officials wrote in a motion to dismiss the matter. “And for the sake of family unity she informed your movant she wanted the charges dismissed.”

They added, “[There have] been no problems or incidents between the defendant and the victim since the day these charges occurred.”

Leighton Vander Esch’s father was arrested for attempted strangulation

The father of the retired NFL linebacker was taken into police custody after they received a call regarding a domestic battery incident near the city of Riggins just after midnight on Dec. 1. Authorities claimed that Darwin locked Sandy out of the house and after she broke in, he put his hands around her neck and “was pushing and squeezing, not letting her talk or breathe.”

Darwin allegedly took her phone away to prevent her from contacting police. Sandy filed for divorce that same day. Darwin was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited on charges including misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device. 

Leighton Vander Esch played six seasons in Dallas. He retired with a second-team All-Pro nod on his resume from the 2018 season. He also earned a Pro Bowl nomination as a rookie. Vander Esch accumulated 469 tackles with 3.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three interceptions.

Injuries to the neck area had been an ongoing concern for Vander Esch dating back to the 2019 season when he missed seven games. He missed significant time in 2023, leading to his retirement.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.