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TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Lions defensive back Terrion Arnold will not be held in jail without bond after his arrest last week on eight charges related to kidnapping and robbery.
In a three-hour hearing Monday, a Hillsborough County judge set his bond at $1 million. Christopher C. Sabella, chief judge of the Florida 13th Circuit Court, said he was “reluctantly” denying the state’s request to require Arnold to wear a GPS ankle monitor. The device would have effectively sidelined his NFL career.
None of the other six co-defendants was granted bond, with Sabella distinguishing Arnold from the others by his not being present when the alleged kidnapping was taking place.
“So, at this stage, I find probable cause, but I don’t find the higher level to grant the state’s motion for pretrial detention,” Sabella said. “So, I’m gonna deny the motion, but it’s a serious case. It’s serious crimes that I am finding probable cause of.”
Arnold smiled and nodded as the judge delivered his ruling in court.
Police previously arrested six other people involved in the incident, part of an alleged effort to lure three people to an apartment in retaliation for alleged thefts at Arnold’s rental home in Largo, Fla. Among those co-defendants was Boakai Eugene Hilton, whom prosecutors previously said planned the ambush while with Arnold.
“Investigators believe, based on evidence gathered, that Arnold was the primary conspirator,” Tampa police wrote in the release announcing Arnold’s arrest last week. The Tampa Police Department declined a public records request for Arnold’s arrest report, citing the open case.
Two of the six co-defendants, Arianna Del Valle and Jasmine Randazzo, pleaded guilty last week to three counts of kidnapping, three counts of robbery with a firearm, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery with a firearm, court documents show.
Randazzo, 19, agreed to spend four years in Florida state prison with six years of probation in exchange for her testimony, according to the plea agreement she signed last week.
The Lions released a statement last week acknowledging “the legal situation regarding Terrion Arnold” but declined to comment “out of respect for the ongoing legal process.”
Arnold, 23, was taken by the Lions in the first round of the 2024 draft after spending three years at the University of Alabama. He started 15 games in his rookie season, but injuries limited him to just eight games last season.
This story will be updated.
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