The lawyer representing Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold has issued another statement insisting that Arnold had no role in an effort to forcibly recover stolen goods from property rented by Arnold in Florida.
The full text of the statement from attorney Tim Jansen, as posted by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, appears below.
“We want to address recent reporting that has inaccurately characterized Terrion Arnold’s alleged connection to this matter. Claims that Mr. Arnold was ‘at the center’ of text message communications related to this incident are entirely misleading and reflect a gross negligence in accurately reporting the facts.
“In reality, the collection of messages in question consists of more than 300 individual texts. Within that volume, Mr. Arnold’s name appears only a handful of times, approximately five, and only in passing references by third parties. At no point do these messages demonstrate that Mr. Arnold was directly involved in any conversations related to the alleged conduct.
“There are no text messages showing Mr. Arnold communicating with any individuals about this matter, nor is there any evidence suggesting his participation or involvement in the underlying events. Any implication otherwise is unsupported by the facts and unfairly misrepresents his position.
“We urge the public and media to rely on accurate, verified information rather than speculation. Mr. Arnold maintains his position that he had no involvement in this situation, and the available evidence clearly supports that conclusion.”
Birkett notes that Arnold was named by his first name nine times in the texts, which were obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Birkett adds that two of the six defendants have confessed their role in the kidnapping and assault plot to prosecutors.
Notwithstanding Jansen’s multiple statements professing Arnold’s innocence, Arnold rented the Airbnb that was allegedly robbed, twice. Arnold apparently made the initial report to police regarding the theft. Whether he was or wasn’t involved in or aware of the effort to retrieve the property is separate from whether the text messages implicate him.
As Birkett explains, the investigation continues.
One lingering question is whether prosecutors can extract evidence that could be used to charge Arnold from the six who have been charged. Starting with the two who confessed.
Again, Arnold hasn’t been charged. That doesn’t mean there’s no way he ever will be. Even if he is, it doesn’t mean any charges could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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