Former NFL player Kellen Winslow Jr., a Southern California resident who is the son of a Chargers Hall of Famer, was arrested Thursday in connection with a northern San Diego County burglary.
Winslow, 34, was arrested just after 2:30 p.m. after deputies responded to reports of a possible burglary in Park Encinitas, authorities said. The senior community is located on North El Camino Real, east of Interstate 5 and north of Encinitas Boulevard.
The person who reported the burglary tried confronting the man — later identified as Winslow — because the person did not recognize him. When confronted, the person said, Winslow said he was looking for a red dog named Clifford.
The person, who did not want to be identified, took photos of Winslow's SUV and that allowed San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies to track Winslow down and arrest him a few blocks away.
He was charged with one felony count of first-degree burglary.
Winslow spent five hours in a North County jail before posting bail. When he walked out of the jail, he nodded to a photographer who was waiting at the top of the steps but did not say anything about the charges.
Winslow's attorney released a statement to NBC 7 late Friday.
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"Mr. Winslow emphatically denies committing any burglary. He would have no need to burglarize or steal anything from anyone at a trailer park. He looks forward to being vindicated once this matter is fully investigated and adjudicated through the court system," attorney Harvey A. Steinberg said.
On Saturday, Winslow's publicist, Denise White, sent a statement to NBC 7, the incident was a misunderstanding. The former NFL player dropped by the mobile home park to look at homes for his mother-in-law before heading to the gym, White said.
"An over-reactive neighbor called police after she saw Kellen walking around a mobile home," she said in the statement. "He was sarcastic when answering her questions about what he was doing there. He said he was looking for his red dog Clifford. He actually has a red dog named Clifford. However, that’s not why he was there."
The mobile home owner is friends with Winslow, she said.
Winslow has a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
Winslow grew up in San Diego and graduated from Scripps Ranch High School before playing his college football at the University of Miami. His NFL career started with the Cleveland Browns in 2004 and included stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to call the Sheriff's department at (888) 580-8477.
