Police plan to arrest Patriots TE Hernandez
Despite reports and quotes to the contrary, it appears that authorities plan to arrest New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on suspicion of interfering with the homicide investigation of Odin Lloyd.
Reuters reports that a police officer, who requested anonymity, confirmed an arrest warrant for obstruction of justice has been issued for Hernandez.
However, an Attleboro (Mass.) Clerk of Court told CBS Sports on Friday that no warrant was issued.
"We have nothing issued from this court right now," the county court official said.
Before the Reuters story, there were other reports that Hernandez had a warrant issued in connection with the shooting death of the 27-year-old Lloyd, which is what the court clerk denied.
Police searched Hernandez's home Thursday after obtaining a search warrant.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the security system at Hernandez's home was intentionally damaged and his cell phone had been shattered.
Surveillance video reportedly shows that Hernandez was with Lloyd in Hernandez's North Attleborough, Mass., hours before Lloyd was murdered.
Also, the Boston Globe reported that Hernandez and Lloyd were likely together in Boston early Monday morning, according to video footage.
Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player, was found by a jogger shot in the back of the head Monday evening in an industrial park near Hernandez's home. The investigation has centered on the Patriots' 23-year-old tight end. He has not been ruled out as a suspect.
It is believed that Lloyd died between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday.
Boston's Fox 25 News reported that neighbors heard shots fired between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Monday. Video surveillance footage showed Hernandez and two other men wearing hooded sweatshirts entered Hernandez's home shortly afterward. Hernandez was seen at Lloyd's home an hour earlier.
Police visited Hernandez's home Tuesday and Wednesday, then returned with a warrant Thursday. They questioned Hernandez about why the home security system and cell phone were destroyed and why a team of house cleaners was hired Monday to clean his home.
According to NFL.com, Hernandez visited Gillette Stadium on Thursday, although coaches and players were on vacation and owner Robert Kraft and other team executives were also not there. Reportedly, the only players there were a few rookies.
Lloyd, 27, was a linebacker for the semi-pro Boston Bandits. There were indications that he was shot and the body dumped in the industrial park. Lloyd had practiced with the team on Saturday.
Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend and mother of his child, at the time of Lloyd's death.
SI.com uncovered two incidents in which Hernandez was associated with guns and police. SI.com obtained a Providence, R.I., police report that detailed an incident in which police found a gun disposed under a car after a Jets fan confronted Hernandez at 2:26 a.m. on May 18, though there was no evidence that the gun belonged to Hernandez.
In 2007, Hernandez was interviewed by Gainesville, Fla., police about a shooting that occurred after Florida's 20-17 loss to Auburn. Hernandez was not considered a suspect. His mother confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that her son and a friend from Connecticut were in a nightclub near where the shooting took place.
On Tuesday, the story of a lawsuit in Florida emerged in which Alexander S. Bradley alleged that Hernandez pointed a gun at him and it discharged while they were riding in a vehicle, striking Bradley in the face and resulting in the loss of his right eye and other facial injuries that required surgery. According to the suit, the two men had argued outside a strip club.
Bradley is seeking $100,000 in damages. The suit was filed earlier this month and withdrawn four days later, but USA Today reported that there was a paperwork error and it would be re-filed Wednesday.
