Former Rider Justin Cox to be sentenced for assault

Troubled former Saskatchewan Roughrider Justin Cox will be sentenced in a Regina courtroom Tuesday afternoon, in the first of three pending charges against him.

Cox, 25, pleaded guilty to assault on Sept. 5, the day his trial was set to begin.

The former defensive back was charged in relation to an event that happened in August of 2017.

Regina police said officers were called to a hospital where a 23-year-old woman was being treated. A witness had reportedly seen the victim and a man, who was later determined to be Cox, fighting. The woman jumped in the witness’ car and he drove her to the hospital.

Cox tried to jump into the vehicle with the woman, police said, but he was unsuccessful.

Later on that evening, police received a call from an employee at a business on the 1600 block of Albert Street.

It’s alleged that Cox came in and asked to use the phone, telling the employee he’d been robbed. When the employee offered to call the police, he declined, had a glass of water and left. However, he returned to get a hat he’d left behind. When he came back, the employee said Cox pointed a gun at her before leaving.

Cox was arrested about an hour later and was charged in both incidents.​​​​

Cox, however, has only pleaded guilty to the assault causing bodily harm. His charge for assault with a weapon is still before the courts with a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 18.

Additional assault charge pending

While out on bail for his first set of charges, Cox allegedly got into trouble with the law again.

On Oct. 5 this year, police asked for the public’s help in locating Cox. He had been charged again with assault after police found a woman injured in a home in east Regina on Sept. 25.

Police found him on Oct. 23 and arrested him. He’s slated for trial beginning March 18, 2019.

This charge marks the fourth assault charge Cox has faced since coming to Regina in 2016.

He was acquitted from his first assault charge in April 2017 due to insufficient evidence, but the Roughriders had already released the defensive back and the CFL banned him from returning to the league.

The ban was not lifted once he was acquitted.

A history of charges

In November of 2014, Cox was arrested for trespassing and domestic violence, however, the latter of the two charges was dropped.

Seven months later in July of 2015, when Cox was trying to make the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs roster, he was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence, burglary and trespassing. He was released by the Chiefs shortly afterwards. Those charges, too, were eventually dropped.

Cox played one full season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, eventually being named the club’s rookie of the year in 2016.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick