Friday’s ping-pong of published reports regarding whether an arrest warrant for Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has, or hasn’t, been issued has culminated in a report from FOX 25 that, indeed, a warrant has been issued.
According to the report, it’s a “paper” warrant on the charge of obstruction of justice. The warrant has not yet been entered into the law-enforcement computer system, which prevents police from acting on it.
“It may be that this is a squeeze tactic,” FOX 25 legal analyst Brad Bailey said. “It may be telling Mr. Hernandez that we have a warrant, a warrant for a crime that has a potential maximum penalty of seven years in prison, is a tactic to get him to come to the table, start talking and start cooperating. And that’s where the lawyers may be saying, OK, we got it. You got our attention. We’re willing to respond.”
The charge most likely has been fueled by reports that police believe Hernandez destroyed his cell phone and home-surveillance system. The goal, apparently, is to cajole someone into telling authorities precisely what happened on the night 27-year-old Odin Lloyd was shot, according to the Boston Globe, multiple times.
Basically, if Hernandez wants to avoid doing time for obstructing justice, he needs to quickly help ensure that justice is done.