Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
According to court documents obtained by several media outlets, police arrived at Smith’s Jacksonville home with a SWAT team and arrested him on April 29 over the allegations. Yahoo Sports reports that Smith was accused of having an ongoing sexual relationship with an underage girl. Smith and the unnamed girl reportedly met at her job on August 27, 2019, and the 17-year-old says she told Smith her age from the beginning. Eventually, the two began to communicate through social media and by phone.
According to the warrant, Smith picked the girl up in his Cadillac Escalade four days after meeting her. The two then went to his home and had sex in his Cadillac Escalade, bedroom and theatre. After their meet up, Smith dropped the girl back off at her pickup spot and offered her $200. She only took $100 and ended up using it to buy emergency contraception.
Police discovered the girl’s DNA in Smith’s Cadillac after taking his car in to conduct a search warrant last November. He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday and never showed up because he reportedly waived his right to an arraignment and to be present at pretrial conferences.
Smith is out on a $50,000 bond and has a court date scheduled for May 20. The charge is categorized as a second-degree felony and could cost him 15 years in prison if he is found guilty.
