NBA star center Dwight Howard is in the spotlight once again — this time because of his family ties.
The Atlanta police department has just begun its investigation into allegations that Howard beat his 6-year-old son Braylon with a belt buckle. They hit a snag however, when they realized the Fulton County district attorney in charge of prosecuting the case is Howard’s uncle, Paul L. Howard Jr. He has been the head prosecutor in Fulton since 1997, according to the entertainment site TMZ.
Going forward, Howard’s uncle is likely to recuse himself from the case due to a conflict of interest. He will be passing the torch to the office of the Georgia attorney general. That post is currently held by Sam Olens, who has no known personal connection to Dwight Howard.