The father of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter is being released from jail in Palm Beach County, Florida, after the state of Florida decided at a court hearing July 24 to withdraw its allegation that he violated his probation there.
Travis Hunter Sr., 39, was arrested July 22 after he allegedly violated his probation stemming from drug and gun charges in 2023.
His probation officer said he violated the “community control” portion of his three-year probation sentence when there was an 11-minute lapse in tracking his whereabouts on his electronic monitoring device. Under community control, he is generally required to be confined to his home under monitoring from the device, which generated a “bracelet gone” alarm for 11 minutes on the night of June 28, according to the officer’s report.
“It was beeping for I think 10 or 11 minutes, and then it was plugged back in, and they verified that he’s where he was supposed to be (at his home),” Hunter’s attorney Bradford Cohen said via Zoom at a court hearing July 24. “I don’t know if it was a low battery.”
As a result of the alleged violation, Hunter Sr. was taken into custody and held without bond until the hearing in court before Judge Howard Coates July 24. Hunter’s attorney told the judge he was prepared to admit to the probation violation as part of an agreement with the state to release Hunter and reinstate the terms of Hunter’s probation. But the judge advised that such an admission would require a guilty plea that could stack up against Hunter Sr. if he violated probation again.
“Once you get the violation, it’s cumulative in this court,” the judge said at the hearing, which was also viewable via Zoom. “The second violation will be dealt with more harshly.”
The attorney for the state then agreed to just withdraw the allegation instead and reinstate the terms of his probation as if it never happened.
“Mr. Hunter, you should be released forthwith,” the judge said. “There will be an order entered reinstating your probation.”
Travis Hunter’s father in the spotlight more as son soars
Hunter Sr. has been in the public eye recently after his son, the Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado, mentioned him in his speech at the Heisman ceremony in December. Hunter Jr. brought attention to his legal situation then when he mentioned his father couldn’t be there then or at other times previously.
Travis Hunter’s father arrested in Florida after alleged probation violation
Then in recent months, Hunter Sr. has made special requests in court related to his son. He asked for the court’s permission to attend the NFL draft with his son in Wisconsin in April and then attend his son’s wedding in Tennessee in May. The judge granted both requests.
But the judge denied his request to modify his probation so he could be with his son more frequently as he begins his rookie season in Jacksonville.
Why Travis Hunter’s father is on probation
His probation stems from traffic stop in Lantana, Florida, in November 2023, after the police said he didn’t have “any lights for the tag” on his car, according to the police report. Police identified him as a habitual traffic offender with no driver’s license and subjected him to a search that allegedly found drugs and a backpack with a pistol and loaded magazine, according to court records.
Hunter Sr., a former standout athlete in Palm Beach County, ended up being charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after a prior conviction in 2018 for “sale or possession of heroin with intent to sell.” He reached a plea deal in 2024 that included a sentence of 90 days in jail. He got released on Dec. 5, just nine days before his son’s Heisman ceremony in New York.
He also was sentenced to three years of probation, including one year of community control supervision.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com