Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerback Justin Cox was arrested Monday afternoon in Starkville, Miss., and charged with aggravated domestic violence, burglary of a residence and trespassing, according to a press release received from the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office.
The Clarion-Ledger was the first to report the news.
Justin Cox’s booking photo (Credit: Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at approximately 1:05 p.m. on Monday to the Aspen Heights Apartments Cox on a call of domestic violence and burglary.
The deputies with assistance from the West Point Police Department arrested Cox a short time later, according to the press release.
The 22-year-old Cox is being held in the Oktibbeha County Jail on charges of aggravated domestic violence, burglary of a residence and trespassing, according to the press release. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday morning and bond will be set at that time.
[UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. CT, July 21: Cox’s bond was set at $40,433, according to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office. The bond breaks down to $20,000 for the domestic violence charge, $20,000 for the burglary charge and $433 for the trespassing charge. Cox remains in jail pending the posting of the bond.]
The investigation continues and additional arrests are possible, according to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office.
The Chiefs were reached for comment and the team is aware of the incident. ChiefsDigest.com anticipates the Chiefs to address the situation later Tuesday.
Cox’s agent, J.T. Johnson, said during a Tuesday morning telephone interview he is waiting to hear from Cox’s attorney and preferred to hold off on commenting further on his client’s arrest.
“I don’t have any facts at this time,” Johnson said. “I haven’t spoken to Justin yet.”
Monday’s arrest marks the second time in eight months Cox has been arrested on allegations of domestic violence.
Cox, a native of West Point, Miss., was suspended the final three games of his senior season at Mississippi State in November 2014 following off-field incidents surrounding allegations of domestic violence and burglary. He pleaded guilty in early January to a misdemeanor charge of trespassing, while the domestic violence charge was dismissed.
The 6-1, 191-pound Cox wasn’t selected during the 2015 NFL Draft and signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent.
Cox addressed his prior arrest on the first day of rookie minicamp in May, and said he was ready to put his past behind him.
“It’s not who I am,” Cox said on May 16. “I made a mistake and I’m just building from it. I can’t go back to the past. I’m going to come in here and do what I got to do, play ball and learn from the veterans and do what I got to do to make the 53.”
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Herbie Teope is the lead beat writer and reporter for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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