Travis Hunter's father arrested in Florida after alleged probation violation
The arrest follows a warrant that was issued for Travis Hunter Sr. July 10 after his probation officer said his whereabouts went unknown for 11 minutes on the night of June 28 when he was 'too far away from his monitoring device to be accurately tracked.'
An attorney for Hunter Sr. didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
Hunter Sr., 39, is under electronic monitoring as part of a three-year probation stemming from gun and drug charges in 2023. The lapse in electronic monitoring allegedly violated his 'community control' probation, leading to the warrant and arrest.
He is being held without bond pending further court proceedings, pursuant to the warrant. The jail in West Palm Beach confirmed to USA TODAY Sports he was arrested July 22 and is being held there with no bond.
How did Travis Hunter Sr. violate his probation?
Hunter Sr. generated a 'bracelet gone' alarm between 8:07 p.n. and 8:18 p.m. ET on June 28, according to the probation officer's report.
When contacted by the monitoring center on June 28, Hunter Sr. said he was in his bedroom while the monitoring device was in the living room, according to the report. Then on July 1, he stated that he had misplaced the monitoring device during the alarm and was looking for it.
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On July 4, the probation officer tested the equipment and determined it was functioning properly. Hunter Sr. stated then that he was 'moving too fast and forgot it.'
This was enough to constitute a probation violation for failing to submit to electronic monitoring, according to the warrant signed by Judge Howard K. Coates.
How does this relate to his son's football career?
Hunter Jr. brought attention to his father's case when he won the Heisman Trophy as a two-way player for Colorado in December. Hunter Jr. talked generally about what his father went through in recent years and told him he loved him.
Since then, Hunter Sr., a former athlete in Palm Beach County, has sought permission from the court to attend the NFL draft with his son in April and then attend his son's wedding in Tennessee in May − two requests that were granted by Judge Coates.
Hunter Sr. also asked the court to convert his remaining sentence of community control supervision to a less restrictive form of probation so that he can 'assist his son with furthering his very promising career with the National Football League,' according to his request in court.
Hunter Sr.'s attorney argued in court that he was successfully fulfilling his obligations in community control, which is basically home confinement.
But the judge denied that request, saying it would appear to be 'special treatment' if he allowed this simply because the father's circumstances changed since his son was picked No. 2 overall in the NFL draft in April.
Why is Travis Hunter Sr. on probation?
He was pulled over by police in Lantana, Florida, in November 2023, after the officer said he didn't have 'any lights for the tag' on his car, according to the police report. Police identified him as a habitual traffic offender with no driver's license and subjected him to a search that allegedly found drugs and a backpack with a pistol and loaded magazine, according to court records.
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Hunter Sr. then was charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after a prior conviction in 2018 for 'sale or possession of heroin with intent to sell.' Hunter Sr. reached a plea deal in 2024 to plead guilty to drug possession and the gun charge, leading to a sentence of 90 days in jail. He got released on Dec. 5, just nine days before his son's Heisman ceremony in New York.
He also was sentenced to three years of probation, including one year of community control supervision.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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