GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is suing the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in an attempt to block the release of records connected to his misdemeanor criminal case.
Jacobs is seeking a permanent injunction, a protective order, and a court order restricting access to records under Wisconsin's open records law.
The disputed records include police and supplemental reports, dispatch records, photographs, audio and video recordings, witness statements and other evidence connected to a May 26 altercation. Among those records is video recorded inside Jacobs' private residential garage, which was obtained through a search warrant.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in Brown County Circuit Court, Jacobs argues releasing the garage video would expose his home to risk of theft, burglary and robbery, because his professional schedule and travel as a football player are publicly known.
"Disclosure of footage showing the interior of Plaintiff's garage would contribute little, if anything, to public evaluation of governmental conduct while exposing Plaintiff, his residence, and his property to avoidable security risks," the lawsuit argues. "Those risks are heightened because Plaintiff is a public sports figure whose schedule and travel may be publicly known."
The lawsuit also seeks to protect a crime victim identified only as ANM. Jacobs says he supports ANM's request to shield records that could identify or reveal sensitive information about her.
"ANM is a crime victim who seeks closure, not public attention," the filing states. "ANM is not publicly known by her identity and has deliberately avoided public discourse concerning the underlying incident."
NBC 26 requested the records connected to Jacobs' case and received a response earlier this week. Hobart-Lawrence Police Chief Michael Renkas said the department was set to release the records, but attorneys representing the individuals involved notified the department of their intentions to legally block the release.
A court hearing had not yet been scheduled as of 11 a.m. Thursday.
