Report: Maurice Jones-Drew Was Never Charged in Nightclub Arrest
By Josh Hill
The afternoon started with news that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew had been arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly punching a security guard at a Florida night club.
Turns out reports that Jones-Drew was actually charged with a crime were premature and the St. Augustine Police Department has some egg on their face.
After reports initially surfaced that Jones-Drew had been charged but the St. Augustine Police Department issued a statement stating that the Jaguars running back has not been charged but rather the department has “taken a notarized statement of misdemeanor battery”.
Essentially, the Department said Jones-Drew was charged with battery and there is paperwork to support this claim, but they’re now coming out and saying he hasn’t been charged.
“Jones-Drew has not been charged with any crime and maintains his innocence,” The Department said in a statement regarding the mixup. “He is cooperating fully with our investigation. This matter is an on-going investigation at this time. As soon as we complete our investigation we will send out a release with our findings or conclusion.”
So basically, the police department either jumped to way to fast to charging Jones-Drew and have since reversed the charges, which happens more often than you’d think. Or, reports were rushed out to the public without all the facts which seems to also be the case here.
The bottom line is that Jones-Drew hasn’t been charged with what was previously being reported and the St. Augustine Police Department basically amended their previous reports with a long winded “our bad” with the release of their revised report on what exactly Jones-Drew is (or is not) being charged with.
While the afternoon started with a headache for Jaguars fans, it appears the situation with Jones-Drew isn’t nearly as serious as it was earlier reported. He’s not totally out of the woods yet but Jones-Drew apparently wasn’t as involved as seriously as initially thought.