Arnell Jones, a member of the Boise State University Athletic Hall of Fame and the 1987 Big Sky Conference player of the year, was arrested Tuesday on domestic abuse charges.
Jones, 49, was taken to the Ada County Jail, where he was charged with four counts of domestic battery with traumatic injury and two counts of attempted strangulation. All six charges are felonies. He is being held on $1 million bail.
The Boise Police Department declined to provide details on the incidents that led to Jones’ arrest. Spokesman Ryan Larrondo said the department wants to protect the victim in the case. The charges span four dates from April to June.
Jones was arraigned Wednesday afternoon during a brief hearing broadcast to the Ada County Courthouse from the county jail. Jones waived formal reading of the charges.
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After the hearing, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office declined to provide a Statesman reporter a copy of the indictment or allow him to see it. At the hearing, 4th District Magistrate Michael Oths said the indictment was issued Tuesday and Jones was served with an arrest warrant later that day.
Jones is considered one of the top basketball players in Boise State history. The forward is one of only four conference MVPs in school history, having led the Broncos to a Big Sky Conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 1988. He led the nation in field goal shooting during the 1987-88 season, finished his two seasons with 967 points and 462 rebounds, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
He has had previous run-ins with the law, including a 1988 assault charge in Garden City. He later pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and paid a $139 fine.
Jones pleaded guilty to battery in a 1995 Boise case. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail for that, with all but three days suspended.
In 2001 and 2002, he was found guilty of selling alcohol to minors at a bar he owned, Shorty’s C&W Saloon.
From 2002 to 2005, Jones operated the Les Bois horse racing track under contract with Ada County. The county later suspended the track’s liquor license after learning of Jones’ convictions in the Shorty’s cases. Unsafe track conditions at the time also led to at least two walkouts by jockeys. The county ultimately revoked its contract with Jones after financial disputes and allegations that Jones had failed to maintain the track.
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