Koa Misi, with attorney Adam Braun, in Santa Barbara Superior Court (April 20, 2012)
Paul Wellman

A Miami Dolphins linebacker pleaded no contest to felony battery with serious bodily injury Thursday for punching an Isla Vista resident in April 2011.

Koa Misi was accused of punching through a front door and then hitting a man in the face after another man had been yelling at Misi and a crowd from an apartment balcony in Isla Vista. The victim suffered a fractured orbital socket, during what Misi’s attorney in an April court appearance called a “drunken altercation.” Misi, who has appeared in all six games for the Dolphins this season, never showed for his arraignment and was arrested in Florida in March 2012.

On Thursday, prosecutor Anthony Davis dropped charges of dissuading a witness and burglary as part of the plea bargain. He called it a normal disposition for such a case. Misi paid the $42,000 in restitution to the victim up front, to pay for past medical bills and any bills the victim may have in the future. The victim is doing well and in favor of the disposition, Davis said.

When he is sentenced in February, Misi will be on probation and will have to attend 12 anger management sessions and do 400 hours of community service. At sentencing, the judge will also likely drop the charge to a misdemeanor, Davis said, because of the circumstances of the case. Misi has no prior criminal history, and there was another individual taunting Misi, Davis explained.

Misi, a 25-year-old who was born in Santa Rosa, has recorded 34 tackles and one-and-a-half sacks in six games this season for the 3-3 Dolphins.

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