By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — At the request of prosecutors, a suburban Denver judge on Tuesday dismissed charges against Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy stemming from a dispute with his girlfriend that landed him in jail.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Chantel Contiguglia closed the case after the county district attorney’s office filed a motion to dismiss the charges, said Eric Ross, a spokesman for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
FILE – Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (10) adjusts his equipment before an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Las Vegas. At the request of prosecutors, a suburban Denver judge on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, dismissed charges against Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy stemming from a dispute with his girlfriend that landed him in jail. Arapahoe County District Court Judge Chantel Contiguglia closed the case after the county district attorney’s office filed a motion to dismiss the charges, said Eric Ross, a spokesman for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
Contiguglia also vacated a court hearing to enter a plea that had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Ross said.
That would allow Jeudy to attend the Broncos’ OTA practice Tuesday afternoon if he’s healthy. He was held out last Monday with a sore back.
Jeudy, 23, was arrested Sept. 12 at the couple’s suburban Denver home after his girlfriend reported that he had locked some of her belongings and items for the baby in his car, preventing her from returning to Virginia.
He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree criminal tampering with a domestic violence enhancer, a misdemeanor, and had to spend the night in jail until he could appear before a judge because of the enhancer.
In court the next day, the woman told Contiguglia that she did not feel threatened during the dispute and that there was no physical contact. She asked for the charges against Jeudy to be dropped.
After that hearing, Jeudy’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, said Jeudy did not do anything that amounted to a crime and the domestic violence label should not have been applied to his case as there was no violence or attempted violence.
“Bad things happen to good people, and that’s what this case is,” Steinberg said.
Authorities have said there were no allegations of any physical violence. However, under Colorado law, domestic violence can include any crime committed against an intimate partner or their property that is used to intimidate, coerce or seek revenge against them. The law also requires police to arrest anyone they suspect committed such a crime.
Jeudy, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Alabama, has 90 catches for 1,323 yards and three touchdowns in his two seasons in Denver. He missed much of last season with a high ankle sprain.
Jeudy said earlier this spring he felt good about his chances for a bounce-back season this year under new coach Nathaniel Hackett and newly acquired QB Russell Wilson.
