According to reports, Sonya Deville is attempting to have her firearms charge dropped.
According to TMZ Sports, Deville was arrested on Sunday, February 19 in Atlantic City, NJ for having a firearm in her vehicle without a valid state permit. According to court records, a valet discovered the gun in the glove box of the car Deville was driving, and the hotel then called police, who arrested Deville. She was charged with unlawful weapon possession in the second degree – handgun without a permit. After the home invasion and attempted kidnapping at her Florida home in 2020, Deville began carrying the weapon, exercising her Second Amendment right. The gun for which she was arrested was registered in Florida but not in New Jersey.
According to multiple sources, Deville was in Atlantic City to celebrate her recent engagement when she picked up her car from the valet, according to a new report from PWInsider. The attendant went into the glove compartment to double-check the vehicle’s ownership because they didn’t have the valet ticket, and that’s when they noticed the gun and called police.
It was noted that Deville never carried the firearm inside any buildings because it was always kept in her car.
According to sources within WWE, Deville has received no repercussions from the incident. Following the stalker who committed a home invasion and attempted kidnapping in 2020, the company understands why Deville would want to protect herself.
Furthermore, Fightful reported that Deville is in the process of having the charge dismissed.
Deville is scheduled to appear in an Atlantic County courtroom later this month for a hearing on the matter.
Following the incident in 2020, Deville reportedly received assistance from a judge in obtaining an expedited permit in Florida so that she could protect herself. You may recall how, at the age of 24, Phillip Arnold Thomas II traveled from his home in South Carolina to Deville’s home in Florida and attempted to kidnap her. He was charged with Aggravated Stalking, Attempted Armed Kidnapping, Criminal Mischief, Armed Burglary of a Dwelling, and Criminal Mischief. The investigation was completed in April 2022. In May 2021, Thomas was found unfit to stand trial and was ordered to be transferred to a mental health facility. He had been in jail since his arrest and was taken to the Florida State Hospital at one point after being found incompetent to stand trial. As of April 2022, it was unclear whether Thomas was still in the hospital. In February 2021, he was evaluated for competency, and both a court-appointed expert and an expert hired by Thomas concluded that he suffered from mental illness and should be involuntarily committed for treatment by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Deville has worked multiple WWE live events and appeared on SmackDown since her arrest.
