Former Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton surrendered to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida Sunday (March 31) night, more than a week after reports of a warrant being issued for his arrest for alleged domestic battery by strangulation, the department announced early Monday (April 1) morning via the Associated Press.
Sutton, 29, arrived at a Tampa jail Sunday night, nearly a week after his attorney told police that the cornerback would turn himself in.
“After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said via the AP. “Domestic violence has no place in our community, and no one is above the law here in Hillsborough County. My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man’s gruesome actions.”
Domestic battery by strangulation is considered a third-degree felony and could result in up to five years in prison if convicted. Sutton reportedly hadn't returned inquiries from the department at the time of the initial report despite multiple attempts to make contact with him, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office assistant chief communications officer Phil Martello told Lions beat writer Justin Rogers of the Detroit News on March 20. The Lions released Sutton on March 21.
Sutton previously signed a three-year, $33 million contract with Detroit last offseason and started in all 17 of the team's regular season games and three playoff games. The former University of Tennessee standout had previously spent his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, having been selected at No. 94 overall in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft.