CANTON, Mississippi — A former Ole Miss football player, and member of three different NFL teams, was arrested Thursday for kidnapping in Mississippi, jail records show.
According to records from the Madison County, Mississippi, Detention Center, 35-year-old Jerrell Powe was taken into custody Thursday by Ridgeland Police on one charge of kidnapping. He is in jail without bond.
According to Ridgeland, Mississippi, Police, officers responded to a report of someone being held against their will at Chase Bank in the 1000 block of Highland Colony Pkwy. about 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Investigators said the victim told them he had been kidnapped in Laurel, Mississippi, and was taken to the bank in Ridgeland, where he was forced to withdraw money.
Investigators said Powe and Gavin Bates, 35, of Roseville, California, were identified as suspects, and both were still on the scene when officers arrived.
Bates also faces a charge of kidnapping and is in the Madison County jail without bond.
Police said more charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Powe played defensive tackle for Ole Miss from 2007 to 2010 after being a highly-touted prospect out of high school. He missed the entire 2007 season due to academic ineligibility issues.
He went to the NFL in 2011 after being drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
He signed with the Chiefs until 2013, but appeared in just 10 games total over the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
He signed with the Houston Texans in 2014 and the then-Washington Redskins in 2015, but never appeared in a game for either team.
