JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Retired Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity certain minors, according to Duval Country court records.
Smith, who abruptly retired last spring and sat out the 2019 NFL season, was arrested on April 29 after SWAT team officers and undercover deputies showed up at his Queen’s Harbor residence. He turned himself in later that night and posted a bond of $50,003. Smith has a court date scheduled for May 20.
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Smith entered the written plea of not guilty through his attorney. The charges of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors is a second degree felony and can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
According to the arrest report, Smith and the teenage girl first met Aug. 27, 2019, at the victim’s workplace, according to Smith’s arrest warrant, and she told him she was underage. The two began talking over the phone and social media, the warrant said.
Four days later, the pair agreed to meet at a shopping center on the Southside, the warrant stated. The teen told police she got into Smith’s Cadillac Escalade and they drove to his home.
At some point that night, the victim, 17, told police, the pair had sex in Smith’s home movie theater and his bedroom. Then, she said, Smith gave her a ride to the lot where she parked her car.
It was then that Smith offered the girl $200, which she turned down, according to the warrant. She told police she was pressured to take the money and relented when she accepted $100.