1 of 2 | Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton (pictured in October in Baltimore) faces charges of felony domestic violence after a March 7 incident in Florida, police say. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI |
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March 20 (UPI) -- Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton is accused of felony domestic violence after a March 7 incident in Florida's Hillsborough County and can't be located, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.
Sutton, 29, is accused of domestic battery by strangulation, which is a felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment in Florida. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office made Sutton's arrest warrant public Wednesday in a post on X seeking information on his whereabouts.
The sheriff's department said Sutton might be driving a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a license plate number of FL-AZ33QB.
The initial post said he is wanted for aggravated battery-domestic violence, but the sheriff's department later listed the charge as domestic battery by strangulation.
Phil Martello, a spokesperson for the sheriff's department, said a 911 call made at 4:35 a.m. on March 7 reported domestic violence in progress that allegedly involved Sutton and a woman. He said the woman has wounds, and a warrant was issued for Sutton's arrest on the same day, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Police said they think Sutton is in Florida and not in Michigan, but they could not locate him in the Tampa Bay area and say he likely fled. Hillsborough County encompasses the greater Tampa Bay area.
The Hillsborough Sheriff's Department hasn't identified the alleged victim and has tried to contact Sutton for two weeks before going public with the matter, Martello told The Detroit News. He said Sutton has a home in a nearby county and several vehicles, but he hasn't been there and likely turned off or threw away his phone while avoiding local police.
Hillsborough County court records show Sutton in August 2022 filed a paternity suit against a 35-year-old Florida woman, but police have not said if it's the same woman involved in the March 7 event.
The Detroit Lions issued a statement saying the NFL organization is aware of Sutton's legal issues, is continuing to monitor the situation and has no further comment.
Sutton joined the Lions as a free agent during the 2023 off season and signed a three-year, $33 million contract after playing his first six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started all 17 regular season games and three playoff games for the Lions in 2023.
The San Francisco 49ers overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Lions 34-31 in the NFC title game on Jan. 28.
The Steelers selected Sutton in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft after he finished his college career with the University of Tennessee.
