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'RHOSLC' Star Monica Garcia's Husband Was Arrested for 'Slapping Her Across the Face' 2 Years Before the Couple's Second Divorce

monica garcia
Source: @monicanikigarcia/Instagram

Jan. 17 2024, Published 1:36 p.m. ET

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According to newly obtained police documents, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Monica Garcia’s ex-husband Mike Fowler was arrested in 2021 for physically assaulting her.

The reality TV personality, who opened up about her 18-month affair on the show, revealed to her followers last week that her divorce was not due to her infidelity, but rather domestic abuse.

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monica garcia
Source: @monicanikigarcia/Instagram

Monica Garcia stars on 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.'

In the documents, obtained by The U.S. Sun, one incident occurred in 2021 at the couple’s home, two years before Garcia filed for divorce from Fowler for the second time.

According to authorities, Garcia called the cops on March 5, 2021, with her Apple watch at 11:30pm after her spouse "hit her."

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"Dispatch advised that the complainant stated that her husband had hit her and now she was hiding in a bedroom," the documents read. "Dispatch stated that they could hear the female yelling for him to get away from her."

Before the physical assault, the then-married pair, who finalized their divorce in November 2023, went to dinner where they were "arguing about some of the people that she had been associating with.”

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monica garcia
Source: @monicanikigarcia/Instagram

Monica Garcia shares four daughters with ex Mike Fowler.

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After returning to their house, "the argument got worse and that's when he slapped her across the face," the report stated. Garcia then threatened to call 911 on her phone, but Fowler begged her to stop and eventually snatched the devise from her.

She then "locked herself into a back room,” used her watch to call, and waited until the police arrived.

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According to the report, Garcia explained they had been "arguing about her friends," and the mother-of-four claimed "she was afraid of Michael and what he would do if she disobeyed him."

Three of their four daughters — Bri, West and Kendall — were home at the time.

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monica garcia
Source: @monicanikigarcia/Instagram

Monica Garcia filed for divorce from Mike Fowler for a second time in June.

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Although West and Kendall were asleep, Bri was awake and "heard the assault and the arguing between Monica and Michael."

After accessing the incident, Fowler was charged with DVAS (domestic violence assault), DVPC (domestic violence in presence of child) and ELDV (interruption of a communication device).

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Garcia did not need medical attention, and the cops later contacted Division of Child and Family Services about the charges.

Fowler appeared in court days later, where he pled guilty to the assault and was sentenced to 12 months probation, in addition to paying $1,070 in fines.

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monica garcia
Source: @monicanikigarcia/Instagram

Monica Garcia and Mike Fowler finalized their divorce in November.

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Additionally, he was ordered go to a parenting class, counseling sessions and 16 weeks of domestic violence anger management classes.

The authority’s report was obtained just a week after Garcia revealed the truth about her split from Fowler in an Instagram post.

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“I have received several questions about my divorce. Yes, the affair happened over a decade ago. No, that is not the reason for our divorce. I understand you all having questions and trying to figure out the reason for the divorce now. I have debated answering this publicly or not,” she began.

“However, when I did apply to be on the show I had planned on bringing awareness to this subject and speaking about it openly. Another subject which was discussed several times, along with others, that wasn't shown in the email that was shown on lasts night episode. The reason for our divorce was because of domestic violence,” she added.

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Garcia then shared more to her story, writing, “My ex was arrested a couple times for domestic violence on me in front of our girls and violations of protective orders. I had hoped to speak about it on the show to help better explain why things are the way they are in my life currently. To bring awareness to women dealing with this issue and to help them see that they are not alone. I hope anyone going through this issue knows that I am with you. I hope you see that you can move on from this horrible situation and begin to give your children a better life away from those circumstances.”

“There is life after abuse, that it wasn't your fault, and that you have tribes of people ready to carry you through,” she concluded.

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