Mississippi grand jury decides not to indict ex-NFL player Jerrell Powe on kidnapping charge

Updated Feb. 20, 2024 5:21 p.m. ET

Associated Press

RIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury has decided not to indict former NFL player Jerrell Powe months after he was arrested on a kidnapping charge in 2023, his attorney said.

Tom Fortner told The Associated Press on Monday that he received notification from the Madison County district attorney's office in December that a grand jury had declined to issue an indictment to send Powe to trial. Grand juries meet in private.

Police said Powe and another person were arrested at a bank in the Jackson suburb of Ridgeland after a man alleged he had been taken against his will in Laurel, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Jackson.

Powe played defensive tackle for the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2010. He finished with 69 tackles, seven sacks and an interception in 37 games. Powe was named Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference in 2009 and 2010.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Powe in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He played in 12 games over three seasons for the Chiefs, garnering eight tackles and one sack. Powe played in 16 games for the Houston Texans in 2014, recording 10 tackles.