Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy arrested, charged with criminal tampering with domestic violence enhancer
Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was arrested midday Thursday and charged with a misdemeanor related to a domestic violence investigation, according to the Arapahoe County (Colorado) Sheriff's Office.
Jeudy was booked into Arapahoe County Jail on a charge of second-degree criminal tampering with a domestic violence enhancer, the sheriff's office said in a social media post Thursday afternoon, shortly after confirming that he had been taken into custody around noon local time.
The sheriff's office said Jeudy is being held on a "no-bond hold," which means he will not be released from custody before his initial court appearance, which has been slated for 8:30 a.m. local time Friday.
According to a police report submitted to the Arapahoe County court, Jeudy’s girlfriend, Antoinette Tharp, told a deputy that “things got crazy” with Jeudy on Wednesday night and he put her wallet and medical paperwork for their infant child in his car at their home so she could not get them.
She said she wanted to go back to Virginia but could not leave without those belongings, telling the deputy she did not want to get Jeudy in “trouble” but just wanted her things back.
According to the document, Jeudy admitted to locking some things in his car, including baby formula, because Tharp took one of his three cell phones and would not give it back.
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Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown said at a news conference that Jeudy was cooperative during his arrest and that there was no physical violence involved in the incident.
“The second portion of this is a domestic violence enhancer and I know the word ‘violence’ connotates physical contact. I can tell you specifically that there was no physical contact between Mr. Jeudy and the female party in this investigation. It solely involved property,” Brown said.
“There was no damage to property,” the sheriff added. “All that happened is that there was an accusation that property was being withheld and deputies determined that there was enough probable cause to make an arrest.”
The Broncos acknowledged their awareness of the arrest in a statement Thursday afternoon and then head coach Nathaniel Hackett briefly addressed the matter in a radio interview with KOA Colorado after the NFL released its schedule Thursday evening.
"Right now, it’s an unfortunate incident. We’re trying to gather as much information as we possibly can," Hackett said. "We take these situations very seriously. We want to be sure we get all the information, we want to talk with Jerry, we want to be there for him and make sure we do all the right things.”
According to Colorado statute, second-degree tampering includes tampering with another person’s property, “with intent to cause injury, inconvenience, or annoyance to that person or to another.” It is a Class 2 misdemeanor and can result in up to 120 days in jail or fines up to $750 before the domestic violence enhancer.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ginger Delgado said domestic violence enhancers are added to cases when the victim is someone who either had or has an intimate relationship with a defendant. Because of the domestic violence enhancer, Jeudy couldn’t be released on bond until appearing before a judge, she said.
Jeudy, the third-year wide receiver out of the University of Alabama, was a first-round pick of the Broncos in the 2020 NFL draft.
Over his first two years in the organization, Jeudy, 23, caught a total of 90 passes for 1,323 yards and three touchdowns. In 2021, he was limited to 10 games and five starts and caught 38 passes for 467 yards.
Jeudy, a native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, has been in Denver as a participant in the Broncos' offseason program and spoke with reporters as recently as last week. Arapahoe County includes most of the eastern and southern parts of the Denver metropolitan area, including the team's Englewood headquarters.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Parker Gabriel on Twitter @ParkerJGabriel.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry Jeudy arrested, charged with misdemeanor criminal tampering
