GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has been formally charged with two misdemeanors stemming from his May arrest.
The Brown County District Attorney has charged Jacobs with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, the office announced Thursday.
Jacobs was originally booked on five charges, including felony strangulation. The charges filed against him are reduced from those he initially faced following his arrest.
The NFL has been monitoring developments in the case and remains in contact with the Packers, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero. The league's review of the matter remains ongoing.
Jacobs was arrested May 26 following a disturbance complaint in Brown County. He was released from jail the following day after the Brown County District Attorney's Office said it needed additional information before making a formal charging decision.
Jacobs has denied the allegations through his attorneys, who said the matter was in the early stages of investigation and asked for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.
According to the criminal complaint, officers from the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department were dispatched just after 8:30 a.m. on May 23 after a 911 open line captured yelling and swearing before the call disconnected.
Upon arrival, officers located the alleged victim, identified in the complaint only by the initials ANM, at a neighboring residence. She told officers she had a lump on her head as a result of Jacobs' actions.
ANM told officers the dispute began after she looked through Jacobs' phone and saw he had been communicating with other women. She said Jacobs refused to return her phone, grabbed her arm and engaged in a physical struggle lasting several minutes.
The two left the residence separately by vehicle, according to the complaint. When they returned, Jacobs allegedly grabbed ANM and threw her to the ground in the garage, causing her to strike her head. He then took her phone while she was on the ground, the complaint states. An officer observed redness to ANM's face and neck and felt a bump on the back of her head.
Investigators later recovered a home surveillance system and cell phones from Jacobs' residence. A digital forensic examination recovered garage surveillance footage from the morning of the incident. According to the complaint, the footage corroborated ANM's account, showing the altercation, Jacobs taking her phone while she was on the garage floor and Jacobs returning approximately 40 seconds later and appearing to damage the phone.
The surveillance video does not show any portion of the alleged incident, the complaint adds.
Jacobs' defense team released the following statement:
"The Brown County District Attorney has reviewed evidence and elected to file misdemeanor charges against Josh that do not include domestic violence. The allegations will be addressed in court, and not in the media. Mr. Jacobs respects the District Attorney's office and the process it followed."
Jacobs is due in court for an initial appearance on Nov. 17, court records show.
