(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was released from Brown County Jail on May 27 after Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said he has not decided whether to file domestic abuse charges.
After reviewing the available evidence, Lasee said the DA’s office “is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision. Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued.”
Jacobs was released from custody at 12:20 p. m. May 27, according to Brown County Jail records. A final charging decision will be made in the future.
Jacobs was arrested May 26 by Hobart-Lawrence police and booked into the Brown County Jail. Officers from the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department were dispatched at 8:37 a.m. May 23 to a disturbance complaint that ultimately led to Jacobs’ arrest, according to a news release from Chief Michael Renkas.
The department referred charges of battery, criminal damage of property, disorderly conduct, each with domestic abuse enhancers, as well as strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim, to the Brown County District Attorney’s Office, Renkas said in the release.
Lasee said the standard for arrest is lower than the standard for issuing criminal charges. Law enforcement officers are mandated to arrest an individual if there is probable cause to believe the person committed a crime and there is “a reasonable basis” to believe the crime involved domestic abuse; to file criminal charges, the district attorney must find there is admissible evidence that rises to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, Lasee said in the release.
Lasee said that “it is common for our office to review referrals where law enforcement has made a mandatory arrest for domestic abuse, but our office chooses to release the individual from custody and request further investigation before making a formal charging decision.”
Jacobs’ attorneys – David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and Clarence Duchac – said in a statement they were “extremely pleased” with the decision. “We remain confident that, once all of the evidence is gathered and evaluated, it will confirm that no charges should be brought against Josh in the future,” the statement said.
Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@usatodayco.com or (920) 431-8314.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers’ Josh Jacobs released from jail as investigation continues
Reporting by Vivian Barrett, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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