21st February, 2019
Jussie Smollett has been arrested and is in custody of detectives.
Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi announced the news on Thursday, noting the Empire actor had turned himself in E news is reporting.
The news came less than 24 hours after Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report. In the report, the Jamal Lyon character claimed he had been attacked by offenders yelling racist and homophobic slurs in January.
Smollett’s attorney released a statement following the Cook County State Attorney’s Office approval of the charges.
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense,” the statement read.
According to Tom Ahern, Deputy Director of News Affairs and Communications for the Chicago Police, Smollett faces a class four felony charge, which is punishable for up to three years in prison.
A bond hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time.