Running back Josh Jacobs is facing two criminal charges after police responded to a...
Running back Josh Jacobs is facing two criminal charges after police responded to a disturbance complaint involving him back in May
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was formally charged in Brown County on Thursday with two misdemeanors.
Jacobs was arrested in May on suspicion of domestic abuse, but at the time, the Brown County District Attorney withheld a decision on charging Jacobs pending further investigation. Jacobs was released from the Brown County Jail following the arrest.
Jacobs was charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property following a domestic dispute at his Village of Hobart home on May 23.
District Attorney David L. Lasee issued a statement on the charges being filed:
Today, August 27, 2026, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Joshua Jacobs with two criminal offenses. Our office sought to ensure a fair and complete review of available evidence, some of which only recently became available to our office due to significant, ongoing forensic efforts by law enforcement.
A criminal complaint is nothing more than a written, formal accusation against a defendant alleging the commission of criminal offenses and does not raise any inference of guilt. Mr. Jacobs is presumed innocent of these charges. As this is an ongoing criminal case, and out of respect for the rights of all parties, our office will not have further comment on the matter at this time.
Jacobs’ attorneys also released a statement following the filing of charges.
“The Brown County District Attorney has reviewed evidence and elected to file misdemeanor charges against Josh that do not include domestic violence. The allegations will be addressed in court, and not in the media. Mr. Jacobs respects the District Attorney’s office and the process it followed.”
According to the criminal complaint, the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department responded to a home on Trenty Trail in the Village of Hobart around 8:37 a.m. on May 23, 2026, after dispatch received a 911 call with an open line where yelling and swearing could be heard in the background.
The victim told police that she had been looking through Jacobs’ phone earlier that morning and became upset after discovering he was talking to other girls. When she asked Jacobs to call her a car to take her back home to Chicago and attempted to get her own phone back from him, a physical struggle ensued, according to the complaint.
The dispute quickly spilled onto the neighborhood roads. Police say Jacobs left the residence in his vehicle with the victim’s primary phone. In an attempt to get her phone back, the victim took Jacobs’ other vehicle and pursued him.
The victim, who told officers she was unfamiliar with the area, followed Jacobs as they drove around. At one point, she used her vehicle to block Jacobs as he attempted to turn around in a driveway, according to the filing. Jacobs managed to drive around her and returned to the Trenty Trail home, with the victim following closely behind.
Once back at the residence, the confrontation continued. The victim grabbed a second phone from a duffle bag to call police, but she believed the service was down. As she attempted to flee the house through the garage, Jacobs followed her, grabbed her, and threw her to the ground, causing her to strike her head, the complaint states. Jacobs then took her second phone.
According to police, home surveillance video recovered from the garage corroborates the victim’s account, showing both vehicles leaving and returning to the home, as well as the physical altercation in the garage. The video also reportedly shows Jacobs taking the victim’s phone while she was on the ground and returning 40 seconds later to damage it.
An officer reported finding a bump on the back of the victim’s head, along with redness on her face and neck.
If convicted, Jacobs faces up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine for each of the Class A misdemeanor charges. An initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst said on Wednesday the team was preparing for any possibility with uncertainty surrounding Jacobs’ status.
The Packers released a statement on Thursday following the charges being filed:
We are aware of the charges brought against Josh Jacobs. We will continue to cooperate with the NFL as we work through the process. We will have no further comment at this time.
Jacobs is scheduled to appear in court on November 17.