OT: Charges Against Emoni Bates Dropped; Reinstated at EMU
Good luck to the young man. Looking forward to beating them on Nov. 11.
LINK.
October 13th, 2022 at 2:53 PM ^
EDIT: The felony charges were dropped in exchange for a misdemeanor. He also has to complete a diversion program.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:06 PM ^
Glad the charges were reduced. Let's hope the plan of action put in place gets him on the right track and in the correct headspace. It's never good to see anyone have something like this happen, regardless if they're good at a sportball or not.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
He didn’t “have it happen.” No one did anything to him. He made a choice.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:30 PM ^
Very true. But regardless of the semantics, it's great to see a plan in place to help the young man out.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:32 PM ^
You have absolutely no idea what, exactly happened- maybe he really was just borrowing a car and didn’t know the gun was there; maybe it was on someone else who put it under the seat when the cops rolled up. Point is, you don’t know shit yet still spout off as if you do. It’s pathetic, but not surprising given that it’s . . . you. Only a miserable, worthless piece of shit would be upset at a kid with a bright future getting a second chance
October 13th, 2022 at 3:52 PM ^
i mean, Oracle can be an ass and yes, the kid should get a second chance at a bright future but ....
the body cam the police released shows that Bates was asked if he had any drugs and weapons in the car. Bates said "no."
cop said he smelled drugs and then Bates admitted to just smoking with his cousin (shocked he didn't get a dwi) and had weed in the car. cops asked Bates to get out of the car because they had probable cause to search it, at which point Bates told the police they better just cuff him because there was a gun in the car.
so, yea. Bates willingly drove a car high on weed knowing there was a gun it it. seems most us know what exactly happened, except you. your rant at Oracle is very "pot meet kettle"
October 13th, 2022 at 4:09 PM ^
Don’t distract him with the facts.
October 13th, 2022 at 5:25 PM ^
For the love of God people, don’t talk to cops. They are not your friend in these situations. There’s a good chance the cop was lying about being able to smell weed. If Emoni had shut the fuck up there’s a chance the search doesn’t happen but as soon as he says he’s been smoking it’s game over
I know it’s only Thursday but it’s always Shut the Fuck Up Friday around here.
October 13th, 2022 at 5:38 PM ^
I have explained this to my wife and both kids ad nauseum.
a) if you are asked questions by the police, for the love of all things holy and sacred, shut the fuck up and don't say a word. Plead the 5th. To every question they ask, just invoke your rights as described in the 5th amendment. Let the lawyers figure it out.
b) see a
c) cops can lie to you. you can't lie to them. so STFU.
d) see a and b
October 13th, 2022 at 6:05 PM ^
I hope you also included a little bit about not breaking the law.
October 13th, 2022 at 6:02 PM ^
Yes, people, when you’re carrying weed and a gun in your car, don’t talk to the cops, because they truly aren’t the friends of people who drive around while armed and high. And they’re probably just going to lie about being able to smell the weed you just smoked, because we all know that smell never lingers. Or, you could try a different approach and not drive around with weed and gun in your car, but what fun is that?
October 14th, 2022 at 2:41 PM ^
You’re missing the point. He has rights, and those include not being searched without probable cause. Smelling weed is no longer considered good enough on its own for PC. Lot of people fought and died to give us these rights and I not going to dishonor their sacrifice by refusing to demand the government respect those rights
October 13th, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
If you watch the body camera footage the cop knows who Bates is and is, in my opinion, remarkably nice toward him given the situation. On the one hand that's nice to see - Bates clearly was terrified once he got pulled over without a license. At the same time, having been around human beings who smoke weed, even casually, that smell lingers and doubly so in a confined space like a car. And Bates admitted to having smoked it and when they searched the car they found quite a bit on the floor of the passenger seat in plain view. So honestly, it wasn't some robust police work to put 2 and 2 together there.
Again, we can live in a world where you generally shouldn't take police at their word when it comes to the context of an arrest AND recognize that a guy driving around without a license and drugs + an unlicensed firearm he knows is below his seat is pretty stupid and should, at the very least, be held accountable for that.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
He also didn't have his license and there was enough weed in the car (and he pointed it out when asked so clearly he knew it was there) that it could be smelled outside by an officer. I'm absolutely not going to take all police reports in good faith but people need to stop acting like Bates is getting a break because he's "earned" it - he's getting off with a misdemeanor because he's really good at basketball and that carries sway.
October 13th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
I prosecute a lot of these kinds of cases. For a guy who has no record and admitted to the gun, I usually give them a misdemeanor on the first offense.
October 13th, 2022 at 9:15 PM ^
That's good to hear; I'm not for blood here by any means. I couldn't find the qualifications for pre-trial diversion in Washtenaw but nearby Wayne County had this program and both firearm possession and drug possession (I know weed is legal in Michigan for people over 21 but Bates is 19 AFAIK) aren't considered candidates. Of course, prosecutors and defense attorneys can hash that out but it's not a given.
Per the body camera footage the cop knew he was Emoni Bates (he said "you Emoni?" when he walked up and then talked to his partner about how he recognized him), asked if he had any drugs in the car (Bates said no to both), then later admitted there was weed (the cop comically said "there's a pretty decent amount of weed for a 19 year old", which cracked me up as a measurement amount) and then after that admitted there was a gun (he may have said "illegal gun" but I couldn't quite tell from the camera) under the seat.
Again, I think guys should get second chances and I don't know the DA in Washtenaw County but I'm just saying that a lot of people seemed to know who he was and that may well have played into how this went down.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^
You ok?
October 13th, 2022 at 4:00 PM ^
Damn bro. Who pissed in your Emoni Flakes today?
October 13th, 2022 at 4:13 PM ^
I’m not upset about it at all and didn’t express any upset. This kind of arrest doesn’t automatically ruin any kid’s future, especially a kid who has special talent. He made this decision, which was my point, and will have the opportunity to make better decisions in the future.
October 13th, 2022 at 5:39 PM ^
don't distract him with facts :)
October 13th, 2022 at 3:01 PM ^
Hopefully this will serve him a life lesson so that he can have a productive college and pro career and not get sidetracked.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
So if there are no charges it must be a block.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:22 PM ^
If a B1G judge is involved, all bets are off.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:46 PM ^
Can you imagine TV Teddy taking over for Judge Judy?
"I sentence you to 30 years hard labor!"
"Sir, this is a small claims court..."
October 13th, 2022 at 3:22 PM ^
Hopefully it's a major wake-up call for him and he makes the most of his second chance and talent.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:30 PM ^
I'm just hoping former Ingham Co. Prosecutor Stuart Dunning III didn't somehow have a hand in the decision.
Seriously though, this is an opportunity for Bates to get his life in order. I sure hope he takes advantage in a good way and finds someone who will give him some much-needed guidance, and that he then listens.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:32 PM ^
The article indicates a requirement to participate in a mentorship program. Seems like someone has their pulse on the situation and is trying to do right for the young man. I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity to hear from a fresh voice.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:49 PM ^
Regular-ass plea bargain appropriate for someone his age with no past legal trouble. That said, he used his mulligan. I hope he can keep his poop in a group moving forward.
October 13th, 2022 at 3:50 PM ^
I hope he bounces back but it's still not great that he was caught with an unlicensed "ID altered" firearm in a borrowed car while driving around without a license and with weed in the car. I'm not sure if it's good for him to be back in Ypsi, but I guess we'll see.
October 13th, 2022 at 4:03 PM ^
How dare you be rational!
DetroitBlue says leave Britney (Bates) alone!
October 13th, 2022 at 4:17 PM ^
And obviously there’s no reason to destroy the serial number on a pistol unless it’s stolen. It doesn’t mean he stole it, but it’s almost 100% it was stolen.
October 13th, 2022 at 4:21 PM ^
Praise be for good lawyers!
October 13th, 2022 at 5:53 PM ^
TMZ just ran the arrest video. He is pretty emotional and calls his mom during the arrest. A guy gets on the phone and ask if the police found his (the person on the call) stick (gun) which Emoni responds yes. This guy seemingly admits to putting the gun in the car. On another note, my sons train with one of Emoni’s trainers during the week and yesterday Emoni comes in. Didn’t get a chance to talk with him, but he did talk to my oldest son (12). He seems like a really nice kid, so I hope he puts it all together. I am rooting for him. His talent is through the ceiling!
October 13th, 2022 at 6:52 PM ^
When you look at it on a case by case basis, you really hope he turns it around and this is a teachable moment.
Unfortunately for our society, gun charges are often the first things prosecutors deal away. The penalty for carrying a gun while committing a crime (especially since he is a prohibited possessor) should be stiff as a deterrent.
Good luck to him and the community he lives.
October 14th, 2022 at 8:13 AM ^
He absolutely dodged a bullet here.
