A former Georgia high school football standout who briefly signed with the Atlanta Falcons was arrested Saturday by Columbus police after allegedly sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported.
Justin Crawford, 23, who played running back at Hardaway High School and West Virginia University, faces charges of incest, sodomy and enticing a child for indecent purposes, according to Muscogee County Jail records.
At a preliminary hearing on Monday, Columbus Detective Mark Scruggs said Crawford’s wife, Chakeya, woke up Saturday around 5 a.m. and walked into her living room to find her husband with an erection as he stood over the child, the newspaper reported.
However, she told the Ledger-Enquirer she objected to Scruggs’ account, saying her husband’s penis was exposed but not erect. She said she confronted her husband about it, that he denied any wrongdoing and she decided to go back to bed.
She took the 12-year-old to the child’s mother later, and that’s when the girl said she had been asleep in the living room when Crawford came in and had her perform oral sex on him before they had intercourse, Scruggs said.
Credit: Ray Thompson
Credit: Ray Thompson
The newspaper reported that Scruggs said Crawford initially denied any sexual contact with the girl to police, but he later admitted to having oral sex and intercourse with her but claimed it was her idea.
Crawford remains in the Muscogee County Jail without bond, according to jail records.
As a senior in high school, Crawford rushed for 825 yards and seven touchdowns, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.
RELATED: Who is Justin Crawford? 5 things to know about the West Virginia running back
Credit: Kevin C. Cox
Credit: Kevin C. Cox
He spent two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he rushed for over 3,000 yards and six touchdowns, putting him in the national spotlight. He then transferred to West Virginia, where he rushed for 2,237 yards and 11 touchdowns over two seasons.
Crawford signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent on May 1, but he was among 36 players released in September during the preseason.
He was on the roster for the Atlanta Legends in the new Alliance of American Football league but was suspended by the team after being arrested, according to The Associated Press.
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