Ex-Utah RB Tavion Thomas charged with three felony counts for allegedly threatening a girlfriend

Ex-University of Utah running back Tavion Thomas has been charged with multiple felonies after allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a knife, taking her phone and car keys, and saying she'd be 'dead before the police arrive' if she called authorities.

According to records from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, Thomas was booked into the county jail and is being held without bail.

He has been charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and a count of felony aggravated kidnapping while committing unlawful detention as well as a misdemeanor count of interruption/interference of a communications device.

According to court and police records obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune, this is the third time in six months that Thomas has been accused of being violent towards women or threatening women.

Thomas' girlfriend made an appearance in court on Tuesday asking for his release from jail - saying he needs help and treatment for both bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Ex-Utah RB Tavion Thomas has been charged with three felony counts after an alleged assault

'He mainly needs to get back into his counseling — anger management, therapy — and get back on his medication. But I do not believe he is a danger to me,' she said. 

'I don't believe with my mind, body and soul that he would hurt me purposefully. I just know with the conditions he suffers with he can't control it sometimes.'

However, prosecutors denied the request, arguing he should be held without bail because his, 'violent conduct poses a serious threat to the current and future safety of his victims and the community at large.' They added they believe he is a flight risk to leave the state if he was bailed out. Thomas' next hearing is April 21.

The incident relating to this case took place on April 4, when Thomas' girlfriend said she was going to leave the home they shared after he allegedly pulled a knife. He took her car keys and said she was 'not going anywhere'.

After asking for her phone to call police, Thomas allegedly replied, 'You'll be dead before the police arrive. I will take your car and drive it all the way to [Thomas' home town of Dayton],' court documents revealed.

The girlfriend suggested they go to bed, to which Thomas agreed. However, the woman said she couldn't sleep because Thomas had the knife next to him in bed.

The following morning, Thomas' girlfriend was getting ready to leave the house and go to the airport, but he took her keys and phone again. 

A roommate - who had overheard the previous night's altercation - asked him to give her the phone back but he refused. Eventually, the roommate helped Thomas' girlfriend escape.

Thomas is going through the NFL draft process, where he is ranked as the No. 22 running back 

Police detained Thomas and charged him with a count of aggravated kidnapping in the course of committing unlawful detention and two counts of aggravated assault. All three counts are third-degree felonies in Utah and carry maximum penalties of up to five years in prison.

Thomas also has a pending case in Bluffdale - a Salt Lake City suburb - on a misdemeanor charge of electronic communication harassment stemming from a January report of domestic violence. 

In October, a witness told police they saw Thomas grab a woman while barhopping in Salt Lake City and dragged her alongside a car. Police reports say Thomas tried to force a girlfriend into his car, but the case was closed after the woman told them she only had a verbal argument with Thomas and nothing physical happened.

'Tavion vehemently denies the allegations contained in the information filed by the State and maintains his innocence,' said Thomas' attorney Skye Lazaro and agent Jimmy Gould in a joint statement.

'It is a cardinal principle of our system of Justice that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until his guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt,' the statement continued. 

Last season, he rushed for 687 yards and seven touchdowns - leading Utes in rushing yardage

'The presumption is not a mere formality, it is a matter of the most important substance. It is unfortunate that the State has levied these allegations and held him without bail at a time when he is at the brink of a career in the National Football League. 

'Under the protections of the Constitution afforded to all, we ask that a rush to judgment be withheld and allow Tavion to exercise his due process rights to the fullest.'

Thomas is currently going through the NFL draft process, where he is ranked as the No. 22 running back in the class and the 267th best overall prospect in the class, according to PFF.

Last season, he rushed for 687 yards and seven touchdowns - leading the Utes in rushing yardage. He also caught six passes for 43 receiving yards.