Christopher Lee Drummond, the 40-year-old heir to an Alabama coal dynasty, was arrested Monday on felony charges of domestic violence strangulation and suffocation for allegedly attacking his wife at their Birmingham mansion. The arrest occurred just days after Drummond was released from a 45-day prison sentence in Monaco.
Drummond, whose father Gary Drummond owns the Drummond Company, was convicted in Monaco in June for intentionally assaulting his wife, Alexis Drummond, 37. According to court documents cited by AL.com, the Monaco incident involved Drummond allegedly ripping his wife's necklace off at the Hotel de Paris.
Alexis Drummond, who is currently in divorce proceedings with Christopher Drummond, has filed a new lawsuit alleging a pattern of abuse. Her lawsuit claims that during the Monaco hotel incident, her husband broke her cell phone, sprained her wrist, and tore off her necklace. She further accuses him of repeated assaults and abuse throughout their six-year relationship, including holding a gun to her head and abusing her while she was pregnant.
The recent charges in Alabama stem from alleged incidents on February 25, September 1, and September 10. He faces felony domestic violence strangulation and suffocation charges for the February incident. Additional felony domestic violence strangulation charges are for the September 1 alleged assault, with misdemeanor domestic violence charges for the September 10 incident. Details of the September assaults were not immediately available.
Alexis Drummond also claims in her lawsuit that her husband "dognapped" their 4-year-old Maltese puppy, Mila, during their divorce proceedings.
Christopher Lee Drummond was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Monday and released after posting a $66,000 bond. His attorney, Brett Bloomston, declined to comment to AL.com. Gary Drummond was named Alabama's richest man by Forbes in 2015.