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Terrion Arnold’s rookie season with the Detroit Lions didn’t go the way anyone expected when the team picked him 24th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Alabama product racked up penalties at an alarming rate during his first year. Injuries limited him to just eight games this past season. And he’s made headlines more for what he posts on social media than for his play on the field.
Now Arnold’s facing something far more serious than criticism about his performance.
Arnold’s Name Surfaces in Criminal Case
The Detroit Lions cornerback has been linked to a kidnapping and armed robbery case in Tampa, Florida, according to Nolan Bianchi at The Detroit News. Arnold’s name appeared in a court order connected to crimes that took place shortly after midnight on Feb. 4.
Court documents show the state was granted pretrial detention against Boakai Hilton. He’s accused of planning a kidnapping and multiple robberies while riding in a car with Arnold — allegedly in retaliation for thefts from Arnold’s rental home in Largo, Florida, that happened just days earlier.
According to the order, the kidnapping and robberies stemmed directly from “Arnold and his friends” deciding to “take matters into their own hands” after his rental property was burglarized multiple times.
“While traveling in a car with Arnold back from Tallahassee, Hilton orchestrates the ambush,” the court order states.
What Arnold Reported to Police
Arnold filed a police report with the Largo Police Department on Feb. 3. The report detailed thefts of high-end bags, guns, jewelry, a cellphone, and $100,000 in cash from his rental property.
Arnold himself isn’t facing charges at this point.
His agency hasn’t responded to requests for comment from Bianchi and The Detroit News. The Lions declined to comment as well.
The court order indicates Arnold suspected his private driver, Yan Lopez, had something to do with the burglaries. Lopez and two associates were later lured to a home, where they were allegedly kidnapped and held at gunpoint — part of an attempt to force them to admit to stealing Arnold’s property and return it.
“This was all done ostensibly to get Lopez, Tenesaca and Anderson to admit that they stole the property from the Airbnb, which they never do,” Judge J. Logan Murphy wrote.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.
