Travis Hunter, a recent NFL rookie and the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, is dealing with a family issue as his father has been detained for breaching his probation terms. Authorities reported that they lost track of him for 11 minutes due to a malfunction of his court-mandated location monitor.
On July 10, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Travis Hunter Sr. after his probation officer reported that on June 28, there was a brief period where he was untrackable because he moved beyond the range of his monitoring device, as per the court documents acquired by USA Today.
The 39-year-old, who is serving probation for drug and gun-related offenses from a November 2023 arrest, was apprehended in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Court records indicate he is being detained at the West Palm Beach jail with no option for bail.
Hunter Sr. triggered a “bracelet gone” alarm between 8:07 and 8:18 p.m. on June 28, according to the probation officer’s report.
When contacted by the monitoring center, Hunter Sr. said he was just in his bedroom while the device was in his living room, the docs show. Three days later, he claimed he had misplaced it during the time it went off and was looking for it, USA Today reported.
The probation officer tested the device on July 4 and determined it was working properly. Hunter Sr. told the officer he was “moving too fast and forgot it,” court documents showed.
A judge ruled that he violated the conditions of his probation for failing to submit to electronic monitoring.
Hunter Sr. was initially arrested in 2023 at a traffic stop in Palm Beach County after police discovered the gun and drugs in his car. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 3 years on probation, including one year of house arrest.
He was unable to attend his son’s Heisman Trophy-winning presentation in December in New York, but was granted an exception to attend this year’s NFL draft in Green Bay, where his son, a two-way University of Colorado star, was selected second overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
