JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former NFL player Jabar Gaffney, who is charged with felony criminal mischief in the vandalism of his former teammate's BMW, the I-TEAM learned Thursday.
Someone slashed the tires of Lito Sheppard's BMW and poured a contaminant into the gas tank while the car was parked outside a Jacksonville Beach restaurant June 17, causing $14,000 in damage.
Afterward, Sheppard, a former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, sought a temporary restraining order to keep Gaffney from coming near him or his family, the I-TEAM previously reported.
Gaffney and Sheppard, former teammates at Raines High School and later at the University of Florida, grew up in Jacksonville. Both returned to the city following their professional football careers.
After the vandalism, Sheppard shared surveillance video of the incident with the I-TEAM in the hopes of identifying the culprits. It shows a man tamper with his gas tank and a woman bend down near the tires.
WATCH LITO SHEPPARD'S CAR VANDALIZED:
Highlights | Uncut surveillance video
In Sheppard's petition for injunction, which he signed under oath, he said Gaffney had been threatening and harassing him, as well as damaging his personal property. He said the two have feuded in recent years because of false allegations claiming Sheppard had an affair with Gaffney's wife.
Gaffney's attorney, Seth Schwartz, said Thursday night he could not comment until he has seen the warrant, telling the I-TEAM, "This is the first I'm hearing about a warrant."
In our previous story regarding the temporary restraining order Sheppard was granted against Gaffney, Schwartz told the I-TEAM his client had nothing to do with the vandalism, saying there was no resemblance:
“Jabar Gaffney is absolutely maintaining it’s not him. I don’t think it looks like him; other people that have seen him don’t think it looks like him. The whole thing is ridiculous. We will take a look at the injunction and defend it. Jabar Gaffney has no clue why this is happening because he hasn’t seen Lito Sheppard in three years. He (Gaffney) is getting aggravated because his name is being drug through the mud nationally and he is innocent.”