Lions' Terrion Arnold mentioned in text messages allegedly tied to Florida assault and robbery case

Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold's name was mentioned in text messages allegedly tied to an assault and robbery case in Florida, according to documents obtained by CBS News Detroit.

The messages were obtained through a records request with the Florida State Attorney's Office in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.

Arnold has not been charged, and his attorney, Tim Jansen, denied his client's involvement in the case. Although Arnold's name was mentioned, documents did not show Arnold as a recipient of the messages.

"To be clear, Mr. Arnold had no involvement whatsoever in the activities that led to those arrests. He did not participate in, nor was he present for, any conduct related to the alleged offenses," Jansen said in a statement on Feb. 27.

CBS News Detroit reached out to Jansen on Thursday for additional comment.

Arnold's name was first brought up in the case after 23-year-old Boakai Hilton, who is believed to be an associate of Arnold, Arianna Del Valle, Jasmine Randazzo, Christion Williams, Lyndell Hudson and Freddie Hughes were arrested for allegedly kidnapping three men and assaulting them. 

Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge J. Logan Murphy wrote in a Feb. 24 court order that Hilton allegedly orchestrated the plot in retaliation for two robberies that happened at an Airbnb Arnold was renting in Largo. The Largo Police Department confirmed to CBS News Detroit last month that it was investigating the reported theft.

Court documents show the suspects allegedly lured a private driver, who was hired by Arnold, and his two associates to an apartment in Tampa. The suspects allegedly beat the three men and took their phones to get them to admit that they were involved in the robberies at Arnold's Airbnb. 

However, Murphy wrote that there is no evidence showing the three victims were involved. The court order also labeled Del Valle as Arnold's "girlfriend," but Jansen said that was false.

According to the text messages, Del Valle allegedly instructed Randazzo to message one of the victims about meeting up at the apartment. Del Valle then allegedly sent a message to Randazzo saying, "rn thts it," followed by "thts wht terrion said."

Documents also showed a group chat among five of the suspects, with Hilton allegedly instructing his co-defendants to grab the victims' phones and capture the incident on FaceTime. At one point in the chat, Hilton allegedly said, "SAY WHY WAS TERRION PHONE IN MIAMU."

Records show that all of the suspects faced multiple charges, including robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit a robbery. Williams and Hudson were also charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

All six suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges and remain in jail with no bond, records show.

Although court documents did not show that Hilton was involved in the actual attack, one of the victims identified him when he eventually arrived at the apartment.  

Arnold was drafted by the Lions in the 2024 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve in the 2025 season after suffering a shoulder injury.

Note: The video above previously aired on Feb. 26, 2026.