NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State Sen. Derrick Shepherd has been released from the Jefferson Parish jail after being arrested on charges related to simple battery, theft and unauthorized entry of a dwelling.

Shepherd told reporters as he was leaving the jail early Sunday that the charges resulted because his mother and sister were threatened and he tried to take action on his own instead of calling police. He would not discuss the nature of the threats.

‘‘And that goes for anybody. Thank you. And the only thing I’m guilty of is not calling the police first myself,’’ Shepherd said.

At a press conference later Sunday, Sheriff Newell Normand said Shepherd allegedly broke into home of his ex-girlfriend, Thaise Ashford, just outside Gretna on Saturday morning, punched her in the stomach and took her cellphone and $100.

Normand said the cellphone was found at Shepherd’s home where he was arrested Saturday night.

Normand said that at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Ashford said someone was throwing rocks on her bedroom window.

She went to the back door of her home and confronted Shepherd, who then entered the house without permission and allegedly struck the woman.

In April, Shepherd was indicted by a federal grand jury, facing five criminal charges, including mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors allege Shepherd fabricated records at his law office to give unlicensed bond broker Gwen Moyo access to $141,000 in checks written to one of her companies whose accounts were frozen by the state Department of Insurance. He kept about $65,000 and returned the rest to Moyo and her associates. About $20,000 of that amount was used to pay campaign debt, according to the indictment.

Shepherd has pleaded not guilty to the charges.