Hooker was arrested in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker

Husband in Bahamas Overboard Case Says He Fell Into Ocean Himself While Handcuffed in Police Custody

Lynette and Brian Hooker.Credit : Lynette Hooker/Instagram

More than 20 years before his wife went missing after falling overboard in the Bahamas, Brian Hooker was accused of choking a child but was ultimately acquitted.

Hooker is currently in custody in the Bahamas after his wife Lynette “reportedly fell overboard” while on a dinghy with her husband, local authorities said. He has not been charged with a crime in connection with her disappearance.

According to court records obtained by PEOPLE, Hooker was previously acquitted on child abuse charges by a Michigan jury. The charges stemmed from a 2005 incident in which he was accused of choking a girl in his home.

During the alleged incident, police said Hooker’s children had been visiting him and a dispute arose over the children being taught creationism while being homeschooled, according to a police report.

In the forensic report obtained by PEOPLE, a police officer wrote that the child had “observed light, linear red marks on the right side of her neck that could have been made in the manner described.”

Hooker’s present attorney, Terrel A. Butler, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, April 10, regarding the 2005 case.

Previously Butler told PEOPLE, however, that “allegations of abuse or a tumultuous relationship does not explain what happened on the day and indicate whether or not [Brian] was somehow culpable for anything that may have happened to her.”

Butler said in a statement following Hooker’s arrest that her client “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.”

Before he was arrested, Hooker posted on Facebook that “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused Lynette to fall from their boat.