Catherine TyrellESPN staff writer1 minute read
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was arrested on misdemeanor charges of simple battery and criminal mischief around 7 p.m. Friday, according to Kenner police.
Thomas was cooperative and booked without incident. He was released from prison around 10 p.m., according to police.
Thomas was arrested after an altercation with a man who was doing construction work on a home being built in Thomas’ neighborhood. The man stated that Thomas yelled at him about parking in front of his house and made verbal threats to him.
According to the man’s statement, Thomas was also upset that the man began recording him during the incident and threw a rock at his car’s windshield, causing “minimal, if any, damage.” The man alleged that Thomas said he did not want to be recorded, so he pushed him and took the phone out of his hands.
The man also told WDSU, the local NBC affiliate, that the problem had been escalating for several weeks after Thomas repeatedly asked construction workers to stop parking in front of his house and threatened to throw something at the cars if they were not moved.
The charges will be adjudicated in the Kenner Sheriff’s Court, which has jurisdiction over traffic violations, misdemeanors and law enforcement that occur within the City of Kenner.
The Saints said last night they were aware of the incident and were gathering information.
Thomas’ arrest was the second in the past month by a Saints player in Kenner. Wide receiver Chris Olave was arrested on October 23 on suspicion of reckless operation of a motor vehicle.
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