Terrion Arnold tied to robbery and kidnapping in Florida court order
Detroit Lions cornerback terrion arnold is named in a Hillsborough County court order that connects him to an alleged Feb. 4 armed robbery and kidnapping in Tampa, Florida, after an Airbnb he had rented in Largo was burglarized twice. The naming matters because a co-defendant has been placed in pretrial detention on multiple first-degree felonies while Arnold remains uncharged.
Judge J. Logan Murphy’s Feb. 24 order links events
Circuit Judge J. Logan Murphy filed a seven-page order on Feb. 24 in Hillsborough County Circuit Court that details allegations presented at a pretrial detention hearing. The order granted the state’s request to detain Boakai Eugene Hilton, 23, without bond and describes alleged planning and execution of the Tampa incident as retribution for thefts at the Largo rental.
Terrion Arnold’s connection to the Largo Airbnb thefts
The court order says the rental that Arnold had used in Largo was burglarized twice, and that the thefts produced a list of missing items valued in the tens of thousands: $100, 000 in cash, an $80, 000 necklace, designer bags and a cell phone issued to Arnold by the NFL. The order states Arnold suspected his hired private driver, Yan Lopez, of involvement in those burglaries and that Arnold reported the theft to Largo authorities by calling the police station at 10 p. m. on Feb. 3.
Boakai Eugene Hilton charged and held without bond
Hilton faces three counts of kidnapping to harm or terrorize and three counts of robbery with a firearm, each a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. He pleaded not guilty and the court has ordered him held without bond as the case proceeds to trial.
Victims Daniel Tenesaca, Soljah Anderson and Yan Lopez describe ordeal
The court order recounts that three people — Daniel Tenesaca, Soljah Anderson and Yan Lopez — were taken to an apartment in Tampa on Feb. 4. Tenesaca and Anderson went inside while Lopez remained in the car; Tenesaca opened a bedroom closet and was confronted at gunpoint by Lyndell Hudson and Christion Williams. The victims were held in a bedroom for about an hour, interrogated, beaten and pistol-whipped. Lopez entered the apartment later, was pistol-whipped, taken to the bedroom and had the barrel of a firearm placed in his mouth while co-defendants demanded the return of stolen property and Arnold’s phone. Before the victims were released, their phones and wallets were taken.
The order notes there is no evidence the three victims had been involved in the Largo Airbnb thefts.
Text messages, FaceTime and alleged orchestration
Judge Murphy’s order cites text messages and a group chat that show Boakai Hilton appearing to orchestrate the attack. The messages include questions about whether a co-defendant had a gun and an instruction that Arianna Del Valle record the encounter on FaceTime so Hilton could see and hear what was happening. Other messages instructed co-defendants to seize the victims’ phones and keep them in a bedroom corner until "terrion and Boakai and Fredo" arrived at the apartment complex. The order also states Hilton was later identified by one of the victims as he arrived at the scene.
Responses from Arnold’s lawyer and the Lions organization
R. Timothy Jansen, a lawyer for Arnold, released a statement denying any involvement, saying that "Mr. Arnold had no involvement whatsoever in the activities that led to those arrests, " that he was not present for any related conduct and that there is no evidence in police reports, text messages or witness statements implicating Arnold. Jansen also said the court order incorrectly identified Arianna Del Valle as Arnold’s girlfriend. The Lions organization declined to comment on an ongoing legal matter.
What makes this notable is the convergence of documented communications, a detailed judicial narrative and the retention of a professional athlete’s name in a formal court record while that athlete remains neither arrested nor charged. The court material ties the alleged retaliation directly to the reported Largo burglaries and sets in motion criminal proceedings for Hilton that include multiple counts carrying life sentences if convicted.
Arnold, 22, a 2024 first-round pick out of Alabama, has started 22 of 24 games for Detroit. Online court and police records show he has not been arrested or charged in connection with the case as the investigation and pretrial process continue.
