Georgia football player arrested, charged with cruelty to children

Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald
Updated ·2 min read
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Georgia football wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested early Friday by Athens Clarke-County police and charged with one felony count of cruelty to children in the second degree.

He was also charged with two counts of family violence battery, according to the online booking report of the Clarke County Jail.

According to an Athens-Clarke County statement, police responded to a domestic violence call at 1:34 a.m. Friday on Mill Creek Way. Thomas was then charged and booked into the Clarke County jail. Thomas' booking occurred at 3:20 a.m.; he was still held at the jail at 10:30 a.m.

The senior from Eufaula., Ala., had 23 catches for 383 yards and a touchdown last season in 11 games for UGA and was expected to be one of the Bulldogs' top receivers this season. He played his previous two seasons at Mississippi State.

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Thomas previously was charged with misdemeanor battery/family violence and felony false imprisonment on Jan. 23, 2023, by the university police department, according to Athens-Clarke County Police.

He entered pretrial diversion for the battery/family violence charge, and the false imprisonment charge was dismissed. Police had said Thomas stood in front of a dorm room, door blocking the exit and telling a female she could not leave, but his attorney said that there wasn't enough evidence to support that.

The battery charge was for bruising the alleged victim’s bicep and causing abrasions to her shin.

Thomas had to serve 40 hours of community service and complete an anger management class.

UGA executive associate athletic director for strategic communications Steven Drummond said about the Friday incident: "This is a pending legal matter and we will have no further comment at this time."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Rara Thomas: Georgia football WR charged with felony cruelty to children