Justyn Ross Arraignment: KC Chiefs WR Pleads Not Guilty, Next Court Date Set
One day after being arrested in Shawnee, Kan., Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross appeared in court via Zoom on Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment hearing.
The 23-year-old appeared on the Johnson County Sheriff's Office Booking and Release Report on Monday, booked on an initial charge of criminal property damage in excess of $25,000 with a domestic violence note in the description. According to the early report, he was arrested at 2:54 p.m. and booked just over an hour and a half thereafter. That initial charge carried a level 7 felony classification, but on Tuesday morning, Ross's public record on the Johnson County Kansas District Court website listed criminal damage of less than $1,000 and a domestic battery (with no priors) charge. Both of those charges are misdemeanors.
With his arraignment originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and later pushed back to 2:30, Ross had his bond set at $2,500 and heard the charges against him. He pled not guilty. Ross reportedly left Johnson County jail at approximately 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday and declined to comment on the charges against him. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 4.
According to a Tuesday report by Jesse Newell and Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, a radio traffic report on public audio streaming source Broadcastify captured a police dispatcher saying Ross's alleged victim — believed to either currently or previously have been dating him — told dispatchers that Ross was "dragging her through the house and has torn up the house." Minor injuries were mentioned, as well as listed damage to multiple electronics, a piece of jewelry and a key. Here's more from the aforementioned report from The Star:
The alleged victim suffered minor injuries, according to a Shawnee Police Department offense report. No specific injuries were included.
The property damage is to a laptop, iPhone, computer monitor, gold bracelet and car key, the offense report stated.
No weapons were involved in the incident, per the offense report. The dispatcher said that the alleged victim stated that Ross had a gun in the house, but that it was not with him at the time.
Per the offense report referenced in The Star's article, a 62-year-old woman was listed as a witness to the incident.
The Chiefs were reported to have been aware of Ross's arrest as of Monday evening, although the team hasn't made any public comments on the situation. Newell and McDowell note that Ryan Ginie, Ross's defense attorney, didn't provide comment on Tuesday morning when in court.
