ATHENS, Ga. — University of Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested Friday morning on charges including second-degree cruelty to children, a felony.
The UGA Insiders first reported the arrest.
On Friday afternoon, Thomas was suspended indefinitely by head coach Kirby Smart, according to 11Alive's UGA insiders via a team source.
Athens-Clarke County Jail records show Thomas, a senior on the Bulldogs, was booked after 3 a.m. and has not yet been released. The records indicate bond was not available for his offenses upon arrest -- it's unclear when Thomas may be able to seek bond.
As of Friday afternoon at time of publishing, the Clarke County Sheriff's Office said Thomas remained in custody at the jail.
His full charges include one felony count of second-degree cruelty to children and two counts of misdemeanor battery-family violence.
Athens-Clarke County Police said they responded to the 300 block of Mill Creek Way regarding a domestic violence call around 1:35 a.m. Thomas was subsequently arrested by police, charged and booked into the Clarke County Jail.
Thomas is expected to be a major force in the UGA offense this upcoming season. A season ago, he caught 23 passes for 383 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.
Thomas was arrested once before, in early 2023, on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor charge of family violence. The felony charge was dismissed in that case as part of a pretrial diversion agreement.
"The felony charge was dismissed after review of the evidence determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard for conviction for trial, unlike the probable cause standard used by law enforcement for arrest," District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said in a statement at that time.
Thomas' arrest follows several others within the UGA football program, most of which have been related to driving offenses.
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