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Elizabeth Merrill
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Elizabeth Merrill
ESPN Senior Writer
- Elizabeth Merrill is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. She previously wrote for The Kansas City Star and The Omaha World-Herald.
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David Purdum
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David Purdum
ESPN Staff Writer
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
Xaviar Babudar, a Kansas City Chiefs superfan facing robbery charges in Oklahoma, has been missing since his ankle monitor was removed over the weekend, and a $1 million bond warrant was issued Monday after he failed to appear in court, according to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office.
Babudar, 28, was due in court Monday for an arraignment hearing. He was arrested on Dec. 16 after allegedly robbing the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma, and faces charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault while masked or disguised. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond in February.
Babudar’s bail bondsman, Michael Lloyd, said he received a notification Saturday evening that the ankle monitor had been removed without authorization. When he went to the Tulsa hotel where Babudar had been staying, he was not there, Lloyd told ESPN. The ankle monitor, which had been cut, was found in the woods nearby, according to a court affidavit. Babudar has not responded to any attempts to contact him, the affidavit read.
The DA has filed an additional charge of removing an electronic monitoring device and, according to the affidavit, has asked for an arrest warrant to be issued. Lloyd said he was in Missouri looking for Babudar.
“He needs to call me because I can help him,” Lloyd said. “Everybody and their mother are looking for him.”
Tracy Tiernan, Babudar’s attorney, appeared in front of District Judge Michelle Keely on Monday for the arraignment hearing, but his client did not show up. Tiernan said it had been over a week since he last spoke to Babudar.
“I have reached out to him and am waiting to hear back from him,” Tiernan told ESPN. “I don’t know the circumstances of why [the ankle monitor] was removed and how it was removed.”
Lloyd said that while out on bail, Babudar went to the gym regularly and attended church on Sundays with his mother, Carla, and brother, Noah. “He’s been doing the same thing every day,” he said.
An ESPN investigation into Babudar and his family revealed a troubled upbringing and a long history of legal issues.
“This is a beautiful story about a troubled young man who’s had a lot of obstacles put in his path that he’s had to overcome,” Tiernan said. “I really like him and I’m going to fight really hard to get the best possible resolution.”
Source: www.espn.com