Washington Redskins wide receiver Cody Latimer appeared at a court hearing Monday in Douglas County, Colorado, on multiple felony charges stemming from an incident early Saturday morning in which he is accused of threatening a friend with a gun and discharging his weapon after an argument at a poker game.
At the hearing, Latimer’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, told the court that he has been contacted by law enforcement concerning an investigation of a sexual assault of Latimer’s 4-year-old son that was allegedly perpetrated by one of the individuals at that poker game.
Latimer, who was arrested at 3:15 a.m. Saturday, has been ordered to return for a July 24 court date. He is facing charges of assault in the second degree, menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of weapons and reckless endangerment.
Steinberg told the court that the allegations concerning the shooting incident occurred at about the same time and location as the alleged sexual assault.
According to the police report obtained by 9NEWS Denver, Latimer and another card player got into a heated argument during a poker game at the home of Roderick English, who told police that Latimer is his best friend. English said he separated the two in the argument and ordered everyone to leave his apartment. According to the police report, there were seven or eight people in the apartment.
The New York Giants have told cornerback DeAndre Baker to stay away from team meetings and focus on his legal issues at this time, a source familiar with the team’s thinking told ESPN.
Baker faces four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm from an incident that occurred Wednesday night in Miramar, Florida. He was granted bond at $200,000 ($25,000 for each charge) on Sunday morning after spending the night in the Broward Sheriff’s Office jail.
The Giants said Thursday when a warrant went out for Baker’s arrest that they had been in contact with the second-year cornerback. Baker had been participating in most of the voluntary virtual offseason meetings and activities that began in late April, a source told ESPN.
1 Related
The first-round pick last year appeared to be among the favorites to start at cornerback for the Giants this season. That seems unlikely now considering his legal problems and hiatus from the team, which is learning new systems under a new coaching staff.
Broward County Judge Michael Davis also ordered that Baker and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar remain in Florida at this time. The judge noted the topic would be revisited should there be out-of-state work requirements.
Baker was released from jail on Sunday, per one of his attorneys, Patrick Patel, and online records. Dunbar was also released.
The Seahawks and Giants, along with the rest of the NFL, are currently conducting virtual offseason workouts because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is unlikely they would need to be in Seattle or New Jersey prior to this summer, at the earliest.
Dunbar faces four counts of armed robbery. He was granted a $100,000 bond ($25,000 for each charge) on Sunday. The state had asked for no bond for both Dunbar and Baker.
Baker was ordered to surrender his carry permit and firearm upon release, which was expected later Sunday. Both defendants were told they should not have any contact with the victims as part of their standard pre-trial conditions.
More details of the case were revealed in the court appearance, including that the alleged robbery occurred during an illegal dice gambling game at a Miramar house with 15 to 20 occupants in attendance.
According to the arrest warrant, Baker and Dunbar are accused of stealing money and watches with force while armed with semiautomatic firearms. It states that Baker intentionally threatened victims with a firearm. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, multiple witnesses said at one point during the incident that Baker ordered another suspect wearing a red mask to shoot an individual who was just entering the party.
Prosecutors said they haven’t identified the man in the red mask. There were no shots fired.
Dunbar’s lawyer, Michael Grieco, showed the judge five sworn affidavits that both sides confirmed came from the same parties (four victims and one witness) that the detectives spoke with. The prosecutor found it “suspect” that the witnesses recanted within 36 hours and that their affidavits were related directly to Dunbar.
One of Baker’s attorneys, Bradford Cohen, maintains that he has more affidavits, some that haven’t been presented to the state, for “a little strategic defense issue” in the event this case goes forward. A piece of the affidavit he did present from Dominick Johnson, a friend of both parties, was presented by the state.
“At some point there was an argument that arose between some of the parties that were playing the dice game,” it read. “I was never in fear for my life in any situation that happened that day and DeAndre Baker did not take any property from me and did not point a gun at anyone.”
It was mentioned throughout the proceedings that Baker and Dunbar have no prior criminal history.
Patel issued an apology on Sunday for the “distractions” caused.
“We sincerely thank all law enforcement for their diligent efforts to uncover the truth herein and sincerely apologize for the distractions that this event has caused to DeAndre’s team, teammates and the NFL community during this difficult time in everyone’s life!,” Patel wrote in a statement.
In a statement released through Grieco on Sunday, Dunbar also referenced “unnecessary distractions.”
“I would like to thank all my fans for their support and apologize to the Seattle Seahawks organization for any unnecessary distractions that these allegations against me may have caused,” Dunbar wrote. “In addition, I am very grateful to be a part of a team that supports one another and uphold the credibility of each of its members through adverse situations.
“Moving forward, this entire situation has taught me how to not associate myself with environments that may mischaracterize my values and who I am.”
ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.
New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar turned themselves in to the Broward County Jail on Saturday to satisfy arrest warrants in connection to an alleged robbery in Miramar, Florida, last week.
Broward County Judge Michael Davis ruled Sunday that Dunbar be granted a $100,000 bond — $25,000 for each of the four armed robbery charges. Baker was granted a $200,000 bond — $25,000 each for four counts of armed robbery with a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.
They will be forced to relinquish their firearms and have no contact with the victims or guns. Both will be released Sunday if they post bond, as expected.
The state had asked for no bond for both men.
More details of the case were revealed in the court appearance, including that the alleged robbery occurred during an illegal dice gambling game at a Miramar house with 15 to 20 occupants in attendance. Prosecutors said they haven’t identified the man in the red mask who the state claims was getting orders by Dunbar or Baker to shoot at someone. There were no shots fired.
Dunbar’s lawyer, Michael Grieco, showed the judge five sworn affidavits that both sides confirmed came from the same parties (four victims and one witness) that the detectives spoke with. The prosecutor found it “suspect” that the witnesses recanted within 36 hours and that their affidavits were related directly to Dunbar.
Baker’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, maintains that he has more affidavits, some that haven’t been presented to the state, for “a little strategic defense issue” in the event this case goes forward. A piece of the affidavit he did present from Dominick Johnson, a friend of both parties, was presented by the state.
“At some point there was an argument that arose between some of the parties that were playing the dice game,” it read. “I was never in fear for my life in any situation that happened that day and DeAndre Baker did not take any property from me and did not point a gun at anyone.”
It was mentioned throughout the proceedings that Baker and Dunbar have no prior criminal history.
Despite both attorneys saying they have affidavits clearing their clients, the Miramar Police Department insisted they both turn themselves in and welcomed witnesses to add or change anything to their statement if they wished to do so. As of Saturday morning, police said none of the victims or witnesses had recanted their stories to them.
“We believe our client is innocent of all charges,” Cohen said. “We urge people not to rush to judgment. We have affidavits from several witnesses that exonerate my client.”
Cohen confirmed that Baker turned himself in Saturday morning in an Instagram post, writing that he is a “believer in the system.”
Baker and Dunbar were wanted by police over an alleged incident that took place late Wednesday night at a party. According to the arrest warrant, Baker and Dunbar are accused of stealing money and watches with force while armed with semiautomatic firearms. It states that Baker intentionally threatened victims with a firearm.
NFL teams can begin reopening their facilities next week, although coaches and non-rehabbing players still will not be permitted, according to a memo obtained by ESPN on Friday.
In the memo sent to the 32 NFL teams, commissioner Roger Goodell wrote that clubs could begin using their facilities starting Tuesday, provided they meet a preestablished set of protocols and have permission under state and local regulations. Teams that are not ready or permitted to open by then can do so as soon as they meet the necessary criteria.
The first group of employees allowed back into facilities would include no more than 50% of non-player staff, up to a total of 75 per day. The only players permitted to return would be those who were already rehabilitating injuries prior to the facility closures, and no members of the coaching staff are allowed in the facility. Strength and conditioning coaches participating in player rehab may continue that work in the facility but otherwise are barred until the rest of the coaching staff is allowed to return.