Cameron Sutton turned himself in to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sunday weeks after a warrant for his arrest was issued.
Sutton, a veteran NFL cornerback who spent the 2023 season with the Lions, was wanted on charges of domestic battery by strangulation. Police couldn’t locate him for several weeks and eventually turned to social media to help them find the 29-year-old.
Sutton now faces up to five years in prison for his alleged actions.
MORE: SN’s full, 7-round mock draft | Top 200 big board
Here’s what to know about Sutton’s arrest and the allegations against him.
Cameron Sutton charges, explained
Sutton is accused of domestic violence โ and more specifically, domestic battery by strangulation, which is a third-degree felony in the state of Florida. He also refused to turn himself in, sparking a 24-day police search for him.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Sutton’s arrest March 7. It stemmed from a police call that morning at a house in Lutz, Fla., where Sutton allegedly battered a woman before fleeing the scene, a sheriff’s office spokesperson ESPN.
Another sheriff’s office spokesperson told ESPN “there was evidence of wounds on the woman’s body.”
The sheriff’s office couldn’t locate Sutton, as he wasn’t at his home in Pinellas County and didn’t respond to frequent calls from detectives working the case.
Eventually, the sheriff’s office requested assistance finding Sutton in a social media post 13 days after the warrant was issued.
๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง?
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office needs your assistance in locating a wanted subject: Cameron Sutton, 29.He is wanted for Aggravated Battery – Domestic Violence. He may be driving a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a plate number ofโฆ pic.twitter.com/uwn7H0sSXo
โ HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) March 20, 2024
Sutton’s attorney eventually contacted the sheriff’s office March 25 and said the 29-year-old would turn himself in, the sheriff’s department revealed in a statement about Sutton’s arrest. He did so six days later.
“After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in,” Sheriff Chad Chronisterv said of the arrest. “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 manโs gruesome actions.โ
Sutton is facing up to five years in prison for the alleged domestic-battery incident.
MORE: Latest updates as police search for Chiefs Rashee Rice in connection to car crash
Why did the Lions release Cameron Sutton?
The Lions released Sutton because of the allegations against him and his evasion of law enforcement officials.
The Lions were also put in a difficult position during Sutton’s ordeal. He showed up in Detroit unexpectedly to work out during it, as Lions president Rod Wood detailed.
“We learned about the warrant at the same time everybody else did on social media,” Wood told WJBK-TV Fox 2 last Monday. “We were able to speak to Cam because he was actually in our building. We found him. He was down with our strength staff. He kind of showed up unexpectedly to work out.”
How did the Lions handle Sutton’s presence in the building?
“[We] suggested he get counsel and do the right thing to turn himself in,” Wood told Fox 2. “After that, we met the rest of the day and the following morning to decide to release him.”
Wood admitted that the decision to release Sutton was “difficult.” He also wanted to make it clear that the release was entirely related to Sutton’s alleged actions off the field.
“We’re just moving on,” Wood said. “I want to make sure everybody knows, we didn’t release him because of anything related to the cap or money that we may owe him. It was the right thing to do for the organization.
“We did release him with a post-June 1 designation, which will allow us to deal with whatever the cap implications are over two seasons versus one. And we’re going to let the process between us, him and the union play out to determine exactly what happens. But money was not on my mind when we made our decisions.”
Cameron Sutton contract
The Lions signed Sutton to a three-year, $33 million contract during the 2023 NFL offseason. He recorded 65 tackles and an interception in 17 regular-season games with the Lions.
Sutton spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the Steelers after being a third-round pick out of Tennessee.