Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor arrested for aggravated assault
Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor was arrested for the second time this offseason in an incident that occurred early Tuesday morning. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Taylor was arrested and charged with “aggravated assault/family violence” after an alleged incident with his girlfriend. The charge is a felony.
Police said that the 6-foot-4, 336-pound Taylor was the “primary aggressor” in a “domestic violence incident” that occurred in a residence hall on Georgia’s campus. Campus police had been called by a third party at 2:47 a.m. to “meet a possible victim.”
Per the Banner-Herald, police determined that the female victim, a UGA student who is not enrolled in summer school, was “possibly strangled by the offender." The incident occurred in Taylor’s dorm room after an argument, according to University of Georgia police chief Jimmy Williamson.
“There were visible signs of injuries about her neck,” Williamson said.
Williamson added that both Taylor and the victim were living together.
Taylor was booked into the Clarke County Jail at 6:08 a.m. Because the charge is a felony in a violence case, Taylor will have to go before a judge for a bond hearing.
This incident comes four months after Taylor was one of four Bulldogs players who attempted to deposit their student tuition checks twice. Taylor, along with defensive lineman James DeLoach, wideout Uriah LeMay (transferred to Charlotte) and safety Tray Matthews (transferred to Auburn), was arrested for theft by deception, a misdemeanor.
As a result, Taylor was accepted into a “pre-trial intervention program,” which included 40 hours of community service. Another “arrest or citation” would violate the terms of the intervention program, according to the Banner-Herald. Additionally, a policy of UGA athletics says that any felony arrest results in an “immediate suspension from athletic competition.”
As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Taylor played in 10 games, recording nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He was rated four stars and the No. 72 overall player in the class of 2012 by Rivals.
For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.
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