Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell was jailed July 20 in Stark County over child support payments.
Bell was arrested July 19 around 3:20 p.m. at Belden Village Mall by Jackson Township police on a warrant out of Michigan, according to Stark County documents and Jackson police.
He faces three felony charges of failing to pay child support in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He owes an outstanding $112,522.89 as of Feb. 3, according to Kent County, Michigan records.
Bell’s attorney, Thomas Shaffer of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, said the former NFL star is “inaccurately” being charged based on the salary he received in his playing days.
Bell, who has a child in Michigan, is being assessed based on the salary he earned when he played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, the attorney said. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021, when he suited up for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Six months ago he cashed in an NFL pension to pay $50,000 in child support for that child. His guidelines are still inaccurately being deemed based on his NFL salary and his professional boxing career,” Shaffer said. “This is a revolving door because he pays a number that doesn’t reflect his true income. The issue will never end. The court needs to reflect his true income.”
Because of the financial threshold, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office is involved, Shaffer added.
The Michigan Attorney General’s office had requested his extradition assistance from Stark County Jail and Jackson Township police on July 15.
Bell expressed he was unaware of his warrant in Michigan, according to Jackson Township police body-cam footage of his arrest.
The Reynoldsburg-native’s entry on the Stark County Sheriff’s Office app listing of inmates says he is jailed on a “courtesy hold for another agency.”
He appeared earlier July 19 at Belden Village Mall in Jackson Township for a meet-and-greet event.
Prime Time Sports & Framing, which hosted the event, declined to comment
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former NFL star Le’Veon Bell jailed in Stark County
Reporting by Aaron Hughes, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Aaron Hughes, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
