Former University of Utah Tavion Thomas has been charged with multiple felonies after he threatened his girlfriend with a knife, took her phone and car keys, and said she would be “dead before the police arrived” if she contacted the authorities.
According to records for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Thomas has been booked into the county jail and is being held without bail.
He was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and felony aggravated kidnapping while unlawfully detained as well as a misdemeanor count of interrupting/interfering with a communications device.
According to the court and police records he obtained Salt Lake TribuneThis is the third time in six months that Thomas has been accused of violence against or threats to women.
Thomas’ girlfriend appeared in court on Tuesday pleading for his release from prison – saying he needed help and treatment for both his bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Former Utah RB Tavion Thomas has been charged with three felony counts after an alleged assault
He basically needs to get back to his counseling – anger management, therapy – and get back on his medication. “But I don’t think it’s a danger to me,” she said.
I don’t believe in my mind, body and soul that he would intentionally hurt me. I only know the conditions he suffers from that he can’t control sometimes.
However, prosecutors denied the request, arguing that he should be held without bail because his “violent behavior poses a serious threat to the safety of his current and future victims and the community at large.” They added that they believed he posed a flight risk to leave the state if he was rescued. Thomas’ next hearing is April 21.
The incident related to this case occurred on April 4, when Thomas’ girlfriend said she was leaving the home they shared after he pulled a knife. He took her car keys and said she was “not going anywhere”.
After asking her phone to call the police, Thomas allegedly replied, “She’ll die before the police arrive.” I’ll take your car and drive all the way to (Thomas’s hometown of Dayton), court documents revealed, court documents revealed.
The girlfriend suggested going to bed, to which Thomas agreed. However, the woman said she could not sleep because Thomas had the knife next to him in the bed.
The next morning, Thomas’ girlfriend is getting ready to leave the house and go to the airport, but he again takes her keys and phone.
One of his roommates – who had heard the fight the night before – asked him to return the phone to her but he refused. In the end, the roommate helped Thomas’ girlfriend escape.
Thomas is going through the NFL draft process, being seeded 22nd overall
Police detained Thomas and charged him with one count of aggravated kidnapping while unlawful arrest and two counts of aggravated assault. All three charges are third-degree felonies in Utah and carry maximum penalties of up to five years in prison.
Thomas also has a case pending in Bluffdale — a suburb of Salt Lake City — on a misdemeanor charge of harassing electronic communications stemming from a January report of domestic violence.
In October, a witness told police they saw Thomas grab a woman as he walked around Salt Lake City and pull her to the side of a car. Police reports indicate that Thomas tried to force a girlfriend into his car, but the case was closed after the woman told them she had only had a verbal altercation with Thomas and nothing physical had happened.
Thomas Skye Lazaro’s attorney and attorney, Jamie Gold, said in a joint statement that Tavion vigorously denies the allegations made in the information provided by the state and maintains his innocence.
“It is a fundamental principle of our judicial system that everyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” the statement continued.
Last season, he rushed for 687 yards and seven touchdowns—leading the Utes in runaway yards
“The presumption is not just a formality, it is a matter of substance that is far more important. It is unfortunate that the state made these allegations and held him without bail at a time when he was on the brink of his career in the National Football League.”
“Under the protections afforded to all by the Constitution, we require that rush to judgment be withheld and that Tavion be allowed to fully exercise its due process rights.”
Thomas is currently in the NFL Draft process, being ranked the 22nd consecutive best prospect in the class and the 267th best overall prospect in the class, according to PFF.
Last season, he rushed for 687 yards and seven touchdowns—leading the Utes in rushing yardage. He also caught six passes for 43 yards.
