Ex-girlfriend of Falcons' Owens files protective order after break-in

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The ex-girlfriend of Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens filed a temporary protective order against him on Monday, the same day she discovered her Lawrenceville apartment broken into and ransacked.

According to a Gwinnett County police incident report, Latia Terry, 22, told officers that she left her apartment at 11 p.m. on Sunday, and when she returned home late Monday morning, the door was still locked, but the apartment had been burglarized and her possessions damaged.

The officer wrote in the report that the drywall in the living room had several holes, pictures were on the floor with holes in them and a flat-screen TV was lying on the floor, also with holes in it.

The report stated that the master closet was “piled full of clothes, purses and jewelry. The suspect poured bleach all over the items, leaving discoloration on them and the carpet.”

The bleach was still wet on the items, which Terry estimated to be worth $15,000.

Police spokesman Edwin Ritter stopped short of calling Owens a suspect in the case, saying only that “charges will be made once a suspect is developed and probable cause exists for arrest.”

The website TMZ, however, reported that Terry is alleging that Owens, who is the father of her 9-month-old child, was the one who trashed her apartment.

Owens, 24, was drafted out of San Jose State University and had three interceptions during his first two years with the Falcons.

According to Gwinnett court records, a family violence hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 22.

During the NFL lockout, the team is not allowed to have any contact the players. Owens has been a regular at the team’s twice-a-week seven-on-seven practices, but he was not in attendance on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Phones message for Owens and his agent were not returned.

-- Staff writer D. Orlando Ledbetter contributed to this article.