Ty Lawson, a former guard for the Denver Nuggets, was arrested on July 16 in Castle Rock, Colorado, on a shoplifting charge. According to an arrest affidavit, Lawson is accused of stealing a bottle of Tito’s vodka from a local store.
The shop owner reported that a man matching Lawson’s description entered the store and took a bottle of vodka before leaving. The owner told police the man appeared intoxicated and proceeded to a nearby restaurant, Scileppi’s, with the stolen bottle.
Lawson was identified as the individual involved and faces a charge for theft of items valued at less than $300. A friend who was with Lawson and holding the vodka bottle was also detained but later released after investigators determined he was not involved in the alleged theft.
Lawson was booked into the Douglas County Jail. He was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He played six seasons with the Nuggets, where he was a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2010-11 season and was included on the MVP ballot for the 2012-13 season.
Lawson played a total of eight seasons in the NBA, also having stints with the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers. His career has been marked by off-court incidents, including being banned from the Chinese Basketball Association in 2020 for derogatory comments and two DUI arrests in 2015.