Charges Against Mike Williams Dropped
January 14th, 2011
In what Joe can only describe as someone in the higher reaches of the Hillsborough County State’s Attorney office being overcome with common sense, charges against Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams have been dropped, so reports video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune, Twittering on the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office will not pursue charges against Bucs WR Mike Williams.
As regular readers of Joe may know, just yesterday Joe predicted that the charges against Williams would be waived.
As Joe stated before, this smelled to high heaven all along of a blatant case of DWB by some gung-ho sheriff’s deputy trying to make a name for himself in an attempt to protect residents from threats both foreign and domestic.
It’s also clear to Joe that Williams’ whizz quiz came back perfectly clean, as Williams was adamant it would, otherwise, the charges would have stuck.
Joe doesn’t think it’s out of line for the officer in question to issue a public apology and perhaps undergo some form of sensitivity counseling to stop this needless and senseless profiling tactic.
UPDATE: Richardson has further details of the decision by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office to dismiss the DUI charges against Williams posted on TBO.com.
“We just got the results back from the urine analysis and that was all clean, so (we made the decision) based on him blowing below the legal limit,” Cox said. “There is also a video at the scene when he got arrested, and when we looked at it in totality, based on the blow and the road-side camera, then the results we got back showing there was nothing else in his system, we felt like we couldn’t go forward.”
This is outrageous to Joe! If, in the video, authorities could tell no sense of impairment, then why exactly was Williams pinched and dragged to a jail like a common thug?
This is simply a miscarriage of justice and if the deputy in question is not pulled off the streets, he simply must undergo additional training. How many other innocents has this same officer stained and harassed?
January 14th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
I think this was an officer who thought he was doing the right thing and in the end justice prevailed. The thing we need to remember is Mike was drinking just not legally drunk. I would rather the officer be over careful than let someone go who eventually commits dui manslaughter.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 14th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
ATRAIN
Wouldnt it have been just manslaughter, since he was not legally drunk?
January 14th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
yeah, because the cop clearly stopped him totally randomly, based on absolutely nothing.
look, im happy too that this is over, but obviously the way he was driving that car caused the officer to stop him.
probably he was in no condition to drive, even if he was legally sober.
this is one of those times when i simply cant understand where the hell are you coming from with your overly harsh opinions, Joe.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
If you get pulled over at 2 am and the cop/dep detects an odor of alcohol ( which was present) they will take you in 9 times out of 10 regardless of color. To say otherwise without real evidence, is irresponsible. I was pulled over in north tampa, thought I passed the field tests but was hauled off to orient road even though I kept telling the guy I was white. I guess he didn’t believe me. $3000 later and the good work of Victor Peligrino (May he rest in peace) I was cleared.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
moore0316:
LOL!!! 🙂
January 14th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
I agree with Atrain and Rucniter here Joe. Geez, there’s enough cop haters on here the way it is, without you fueling the fire. I realize there are dirty cops, just like there are in any profession, but just because something like this happens, doesn’t mean its a miscarriage of justice. Probably just a hard working cop working the graveyard shift protecting Tampa who thought he was doiing the right thing.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
MVPFreeman i’m saying in general not just #19. If a cop suspects any thing it’s better safe than sorry
January 14th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
RUNCITER
People weave through traffic and speed everyday. Thats just how some people drive. It dosent mean they should be arrested for DUI.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
It means they should be written a traffic citation.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
That’s a standard practice northbound on the Howard Frankland Bridge much less I-275.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
With the update this cop cost Mike Will thousands of dollars…. Remember the Bucs fined him for the incident…. I understand cops have a tough job but come on man he blew below the legal limit, I think was just trying to make a name for himself. Glad to see Mike Will innocent but how many articles will there be apologizing to him after so many articles were written condemning him?
January 14th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
ATrain
I agree, it is better safe than sorry. And I know # 19 shouldnt get a pass to break the law. I was just asking, from a legal prespetive, would you be charged with DUI manslaughter if you were killed somebody while driving after you drank but you were not ‘DRUNK’, or would you just be chargd with vehicular manslaughter?
Not sure why 3 or 4 people took that question as being a ‘cop hater’….
January 14th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
if you killed**
January 14th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
JOE
Lol, tell me about it.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
” People weave through traffic and speed everyday. Thats just how some people drive. It dosent mean they should be arrested for DUI.”
Actually they should get arrested for wreckless driving.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
I dont see how speeding and weaving through traffic is constituted as wreckless driving. If its rush hour well then, obviously, but this occured at about 2:30 in the morning. Not many people out driving at that hour.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Besides, I think you have to be doing like 100 or them to arrest you for wreckless driving/speeding. And you have to be makeing some highly questionable menuvers thatare putting other drivers lives at risk for them to arrest you for wreckless driving because of weaving.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Congratulations Mr.Williams Im glad the case is over. As for the cop, you knew when you took the job, you are damed if you do and damned if you dont. Its just part of the job, stay safe and thank you for putting your life on the line.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
They don’t post speed limits at random. They’re posted for the specific purpore of keeping drivers safe. Time does not matter! Besides 90% of everything is how you treat the officer who pulls you over.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Well, let’s just hope this is the only thing thrown Mike Williams way that is “dropped”!
January 14th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Your right, time does NOT matter. But traffic nd road conditions DO matter. And if the way Williams was ‘weaving and speeding’ was wreckless enough that he was putting other driver’s lives in danger im sure the police would have charged him with wreckless driving.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
MVP
“I dont see how speeding and weaving through traffic is constituted as wreckless driving”
Really?
Florida Statutes Section 316.192: Reckless Driving
(1)(a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.
Gee, speeding(one broken law) and weaving, sounds like willful disregard too me!
January 14th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Williams should have received a ticket for wreckless driving if that was the case. But some cops want to make names for themselves and you get this. Now Williams has to try and clean up his image.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
OAR
Obviously he didn’t break those two law IN A MANNER that would put the SAFTEY OF OTHER PERSONS OR PROPERTY in any danger.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
I cant believe Im still arguing this with people. Havent you been out driving late at night? Hvaent you see COPS. At 2-3 in the morning the police will pull you over for ANYTHING and use it as probable cause. If he was driving dangerously the officer would have cited him for it.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
…And just because you are speeding or weaving, dosent automatically mean you are a danger to other drivers.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
“just because you are speeding or weaving, dosent automatically mean you are a danger to other drivers”
UH, yes it does. It means you are driving faster than what is deemed safe. And if you’re not being safe, then you are being dangerous. It’s kind of like pregnancy – you either are or aren’t. You can’t drive KIND OF safely.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Good one oar!
January 14th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Glad charges were dropped, and HOPE young Mr. Williams has learned from his experience! Despite all the love he’s receiving, it was DUMB AS HELL to drink and drive at 3:00 at night. Everyone can make excuses for him all they want, but he lives in the limelight. Careers get ended quickly in the NFL for those kind of bad judgements. Everything is amplified in the public eye! He has a card for a free ride, anytime, anywhere. He can’t afford the bad press. I think he is a good guy, and will not screw up again. But this was a screw up, that thankfully ended well for him
January 14th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
First of all, I am not saying the officer pulled him over as a result of being black (and driving a nice car). I wasn’t there, don’t know the officer, and I have no idea what really happened. However, anyone who is naive enough to believe that SOME officers do abuse their authority and pull people over based on race needs to wake up. I have seen it first hand. After a basketball practice, myself and 3 teammates (who are black) went to get drinks (non-alcoholic) at the gas station. As we got back to our car, a cop car came screeching at us. They frisked my teammates and searched their car. They didn’t even so much as look at me. They were extremely disrespectful, and told them to go home and stay out of trouble. It was like 8pm! That moment has stuck with me for 15 year, and I will never forget it. So don’t anyone tell me it doesn’t happen, because it does.
I have yet to see any evidence that says Williams should have been treated the way he was. He wasn’t over the limit, and it doesn’t usually take too much alcohol to be over the limit. They even said the video didn’t warrant any charges. That says it all right there. I’m not naive enough to believe a police officer, when there is absolutely ZERO evidence to prove his case. If he was driving recklessly, where is the reckless driving charge? He was, however, going 57 in a 45 (allegedly). I’m sure none of us have ever gone 12 MPH over the speed limit. Why should I believe the officer – because he has a badge? I have several friends that are police officers, and even they have told me there are more crooked cops than most people realize. However, that can be said for any profession, so I’m not bashing cops, just stating a fact.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
LOL @ oar
January 14th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
There are “products” on the market that get you high but do not show up on a drug test.
K2 and Spice are a couple. Look it up.
I’m not accusing him of anything but it is possible that he was impaired on something that would not show on a drug test.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
We are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.
Obviously there was nothing in his system AND THE VIDEO showed no impairment, so I would love the REAL explanation from the cop as to why he was detained. (I believe Steve White commented on his blog that the area in question is noted for being pulled over for DWB and he has first hand experience\knowledge of that fact.)
The whole thing smells rotten.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
ATRAIN WD 40- Enjoy your police state where the cops are more like SS thugs and can haul people off to jail for the mere suspicion of the possibility that a crime has been committed. Jackass.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
MVP,
My comment was not about Williams or the incident. My comment was about you and your statement of “speeding and weaving not being reckless!”
January 14th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
CaptTim,
I agree!
January 14th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
You have to be kidding me. No evidence of impmairment, blow below the legal limit, video doesn’t show impairment, and Williams is hauled in for DUI and given a piss test? That’s garbage. I’m not calling the cop a racist, but just because he wasn’t being intentionally or overtly biased, doesn’t mean he wasn’t stereotyping the 20-something black male. Thats the thing about prejudice. Its subconcious.
I’m with you here, Joe, 100%. This wreaks of profiling.
January 14th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Of course the officer pulled him over for being black and driving a nice car.
Why doesn’t the Police Chief tell his cops to use some common sense for a change???
There are a lot of great cops in the world. Most of them are, but there is always that 10% that just don’t get it, such as life. Just like Bucy Ou & his girlfriend Thomasina.
January 14th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
EXACTLY!
January 14th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
For all the racial profiling experts on here please don’t forget the reason he was initially pulled over was because he was speeding, not because he was a black man in a fancy Escalade.
“ProFootballTalk first reported, Williams was pulled over in Hillsborough County, Florida around 2:48 AM after cops say he was going 57 in a 45″
January 14th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
I can’t believe anyone really cares that Mike Williams was driving 12 miles over the speed limit. Has this comment board been invaded by little old church ladies?
January 14th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
I’m not saying racial profiling is a bad thing in some circumstances, because I really don’t think it is. I mean, I’m a conservative, it is one of our core beliefs, but most are too chicken to say it. It would sure save us a lot of time in airports. The problem is that once you pull them over and see who they are, you have to use some common sense. If they need to be deported, then by all means. If the car smells like weed, then by all means, but if they don’t have a rap sheet when you run the plates, then warn them to slow down, and send them on their merry way.
A guy in Sarasota recently beat a DUI rap because the cop said he was weaving. The next few weeks they went and tailed cops with a video camera. They could barely get any tape because they all speed, all of the time. The Cops were shown weaving in and out of lanes and the Judge dismissed the case.
See attached with footage:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101217/BREAKING/312179999
January 14th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
gitarlvr,
Wellll, isn’t thaat special! I’m sorry, I thought this was Church Chat, my bad!
BTW it was the bogus DUI attached to the speeding that intrigued us, not just the speeding!
January 14th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Hey Joe,
Its your Blog man but can we reserve the comments calling the deputy a racist?
“As Joe stated before, this smelled to high heaven all along of a blatant case of DWB by some gung-ho sheriff’s deputy …”
As a deputy, I am sick of this crap from people that dont know. Do you guys know whether or not he actually failed his field exercises (walk the line n’ turn, nostagmus and leg lift)? If so, that is probable cause for the arrest. Did you know that you do not “blow” into a machine until you are already in the jail so the fact that he “blew” under the legal limit would not have been known to the deputy until hours after arrest? Lets not call a cop racist when none of us were there and saw what happened. Innocent people get arrested sometimes…cops arent sages and dont know everything….that’s why its called “probable cause” and not “absolutely positive cause”
January 14th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Maybe the cop is a panthers or dixie chicks fan
Who knows???
January 14th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Runciter wrote:
“yeah, because the cop clearly stopped him totally randomly, based on absolutely nothing.
look, im happy too that this is over, but obviously the way he was driving that car caused the officer to stop him.
probably he was in no condition to drive, even if he was legally sober”
That has to be the most naive, idiotic comment I’ve read in the past year. At 2:00 a.m. cops will pull over anyone for any reason hunting for DUI’s that don’t exist. Any excuse will do, including doing 36 in a 35. And if nothing else they can always use the old standby: Weaving. Totally unverifiable, and their word against yours.
MW was completely innocent in this as far as I’m concerned. This was justice run amok, and it cost him a cool $3k, and probably a lot more when all the costs are added up. All you numbnuts on here saying it’s okay to be overly cautious to make sure no one is hurt wouldn’t be saying that if you were the one pulled in for totally scurrilous reasons, had to pay over $10k in attorney fees, fines, penalties and lost wages (that’s the national average for a DUI – look it up), and then were let off scott free because the cop was a nazi pig going hunting as I stated earlier. I have, and let me tell you it’s total bunch of s..t.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
You’re all sheep.
January 14th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
LIGHTNINGBUC
‘UH, yes it does. It means you are driving faster than what is deemed safe. And if you’re not being safe, then you are being dangerous. It’s kind of like pregnancy – you either are or aren’t. You can’t drive KIND OF safely.’
UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. No it doesn’t UHHHHHHHHHHHH. What if there are no other cars around you. UHHHHHHHHH. Wow I guess its not like preganancy. UHHHHHH. They are called CIRCUMSTANCES.
January 14th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
OAR
And I stand by my statement. Lets start with speeding, If I am going 47mph in a 45 am I being reckless? I dont think so. Im I speeding? Yep. Lets say Im going 15 mph over the speed limit. Am I being reckless? Maybe, depening on the enviornment. If im in front of an elementry school when kids are walking to school, you bet your ass im being reckless. Lets say im going 15 mph over the speed limit on I275. Am I breaking the law? Yep. Am I being reckless? I dont think so. Have you ever read, heard, or seen somebody get arrested for going over 15 mph on I-275?
That leaves us with ‘weaving’. What exactly is a ‘weave’? Something black people put in their hair? Some thing you build a basket with? Or is it something your grandmother uses to knit? ‘Weaving’. Thats a bit undescriptive, wouldn’t you say? ‘Weaving’. Did I weave because I I cut across 3 lanes, 2 lanes or 1? Was it because I wasn’t using my blinker? Was it because I cut somebody off? Or was it because you wanted to take me to Orient road and tell all your co-workers you busted the ROTY for DUI?
January 14th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
MATT
We were playing the 49ers that week. The cop was probably a San Fran native, thats where Id put my money.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
“…that’s why its called ‘probable cause’ and not ‘absolutely positive cause'”
It should be called “the poor excuse I told my mother”.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
MVP,
Wow, alot of thought there, and questions.
I stand by my REALLY? question to your, “I dont see how speeding and weaving through traffic is constituted as wreckless driving.” Speeding and weaving is reckless, unless your in the profession of making left turns only. But, I will ask my nephew, he’s a TPD.
BTW was he on the interstate? That’s a little different. Don’t know to many pedestrians walking or trying to cross the interstate. Then there is the fact of medians(most with guard rails) to keep opposing cars from crossing into each other. Again, I didn’t know he was on the interstate going 15 mph over the speed limit!? That’s right, he wasn’t.
That is all!
January 14th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
mikeck:
In no way was this post meant to trash cops. On the contrary. You guys have Joe’s utmost respect. You deal with so many dirtbags each day it’s unreal.
But mikeck, you know as well as anyone there are rogue cops just like there are ssicko priests and teachers who nail students. Doesn’t mean the entire profession is bad, just that there are bad eggs in every profession.
If anything, this episode shows how, thanks in part to the neo-prohibitionists, DUIs aren’t so much to keep drunk drivers off the road as it is a form for local municipalities to generate revenue.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Ohh, Im sorry! I thought we weren’t talking about Mike Williams. I thought you were talking about MY STATEMENT.
Thats all.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
OAR
“MVP,
My comment was not about Williams or the incident. My comment was about you and your statement of “speeding and weaving not being reckless!””
Hows that for “alot of thought”?
January 14th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Hey Mikeck…. get over yourself dude. We all know racial profiling is real and that even black cops do it to other black people. The Mike Williams arrest stinks of police abuse of authority. Probable cause. Give me a break. Everyone with their head not in the sand knows there more than a few cops that make probable causes up out of thin air whenever they “feel” like popping somebody. Deny it if you want. Its what you guys do. Protect and cover up for your own even if their not entirely on the up and up.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
MVP,
Ok my bad, but you can take out my “was he on the interstate?” and my “Again, I didn’t know he was on the interstate going 15 mph over the speed limit!?” and still get my point about my interstate comment to your “Have you ever read, heard, or seen somebody get arrested for going over 15 mph on I-275?
Hey, you have yours and I have mine. Drive safely! I know I do, by not speeding and weaving!
January 14th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
BTW- I am in no way bashing the police. Its just that to have a free society and not an oppressive police state, it is absolutely necessary for free citizens to question ALL authority. Those like Atrain WD 40 that want to hand law enforcement carte blanche to arrest people on the slightest suspicions “just to be safe” apparently haven’t read books like 1984. Obviously we are far from that dystopian nightmare at the moment but its a slippery slope to that end from justifying policemen making such suspect arrests as the Mike Williams one. Don’t get mad because people have legitmate concern over the veracity of the Mike Williams arrest.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Just got here and have to laugh.
It’s funny how many people think you should get a ticket for “wreckless” driving. Getting a ticket for not having a wreck? Really?
Okay, maybe reckless driving, but NOT wreckless. I congratulate anyone who makes it where they’re going without getting in a wreck.
January 14th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
BamBam- Lol!!!
Oar- Lol!!!
January 14th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
This particular converatsion is making me a reck!
January 14th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
gitarlvr,
Good call with the “1984”. We are getting closer every day and this is why I am 110% against red light cameras. What next? Will they put cameras in our cars and trucks? It goes on and on until the people stand up and finally say “Enough!!!!”
Too many cops have the attitude of “Do as I say, and not as I do”. They speed when not in pursuit, drive reckless by texting or punching computer keys while driving. They go to bars and drink and drive just like everybody else. At some point common sense and good judgment have to take over. And no cop under the age of 25, or with less than 3 years of service should ever patrol alone. I am now age profiling against hot head young kids…with badges.
January 14th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
“Do you guys know whether or not he actually failed his field exercises (walk the line n’ turn, nostagmus and leg lift)?”
No we don’t. Do you? That’s the problem. There is no evidence to support the police officer’s claim. Unless you have some inside information, then just because you are a police officer too doesn’t mean anything. I’m sure don’t deny that there are racist cops out there, right? I am in no way attacking you or your profession, but it’s absurd to think that there aren’t bad cops too. If I was in your shoes, I would probably be defending my co-workers too. I personally won’t call the cop a racist, but I do think it’s fair to at least raise that point. This whole incidents smells funny from the very beginning, and the smell is only getting stronger. Maybe if there was a shred of evidence things would look differently, but there isn’t. If I was MW, TPD would have a shiny new lawsuit real soon.
January 14th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
I somehow doubt Mikeck is really even a cop. His statement that they only perform breathalyzers at the jail is totally false and ridiculous. Of course they have field breathalyzers and do use them. They do another breathalyzer with a more bigger more accurate machine at the jail but they absolutely do have portable breathalyzers. What a ridiculous statement and probably proof that Mikeck is a poser.
January 14th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
@Gitarlvr
I thought that was suspicious too. I just called my friend (who just so happens to be one of the top DUI officers in Hawaii), and he said the exact same thing you just said. Hmmmmmmm?
January 14th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
As a successful black male, cops profile! One of my petitioners is the Assistant Chief of police (currently) and his duties are to police thte police. When asked about these particular subjects he quoted; yes there is profiling going on, yes there are officers who act like gang members with a badge(s). His job is to bust them. I was stopped in a very nice car, told I ran a red light (not true), talked to like a dog until they found out that their boss was one of my petitioners. They called to check my info and immediately the situation got aggressively better. I went from bad treatment to yes Sir, no Sir. Funny how that works.
How about all of those that wanted Mike suspended? How do you feel about that now? What if Raheem would have done that? He was criticized for not doing it? I read the blogs her on Joe Buc, where are you guys? Oh thats right, this is probably why your standing up for the Officer, to justify your comments…SMH
Great job Joe… Your comments are warranted
January 14th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Great post Horice. There were a lot of people screaming and hollering for him to be suspended. Those guys (we all know who they are) are strangely missing from this post. I have no respect for people who cannot admit when they are wrong.
January 14th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
@Joe:
“As Joe stated before, this smelled to high heaven all along of a blatant case of DWB by some gung-ho sheriff’s deputy trying to make a name for himself in an attempt to protect residents from threats both foreign and domestic.”
It’s a bit rich for you to say that this “smelled to high heaven all along”.
I don’t remember, you might have come out against the arrest pretty early on, but that certainly wasn’t your first reaction:
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=39852
“While the report says Williams’ blood alcohol tests were below the legal limit (.065 & .061), Joe’s experience covering law enforcement tells him Williams could have failed field sobriety tests or the police suspect he was high on another substance. “
January 14th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Sounds like Justice prevailed, but you guys are are being enablers to bad athlete behavior!! He was innocent of DUI, so charges were dropped. But he was definately guilty of being STUPID as HELL! 22 yrs old, has been drinking, 3am in the Morning- and he is speeding to attract attention and give the cops a reason to pull him over? STUPID! If I’ve had a single beer, and it’s after 2am, my seat belt is on, my turn signals go on at every signal, and I AM NOT SPEEDING! Why? Because as everyone knows(who isn’t an idiot), at 3am, Cops are expecting to encounter Drunk drivers. The BARS JUST CLOSED!!. If you have to be on the road, then you drive by the numbers. Speeding after drinking is gonna get you checked out. Mike admitted to having a drink, and speeding. STUPID! I like this young man. I think this will be a one time event, and he will learn from it. But I would have expected to get pulled over if I was out speeding in an expensive vehicle at 3am, especially when the cop runs my tag and finds out I’m only 22. If any of you wouldn’t expect that to happen, you haven’t lived the night life much
January 14th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I agree with you to a point, Captain. But we really don’t know for sure what happened. We don’t know if he came from a bar. Maybe he was at a friends house and slept off his buzz, then woke up and went home. I’ve done that many times in my life. I know for myself, whenever there are no cars on the road (like at 2am), that is the time I am most likely to speed, because it doesn’t feel like speeding. I don’t necessarily believe the “weaving” part of the story either. That is an easy explanation for a cop to pull someone “suspicious” over. Obviously he made a bad decision, but I’m a little reluctant to call him stupid. Now if I am wrong and he did come from a bar and he was weaving, then I retract everything. However, from all indications he is a bright kid, so I’m going to hope for the best and give him the benefit of the doubt.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Somebody call Mall Security???
January 14th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Hawaiian Buc- I don’t think Mike Williams is stupid at all. I think his decision making was Stupid! But that’s the decisions that all 22 year old males are apt to make. Like I said earlier, I think he will learn from this. But bottom line is this- I think a 22 year old black kid, who has been drinking, speeding around at 3am in the morning, is more guilty of a stupid decision- than the Tampa police Dept is guilty of racism for pulling him over. It was a handled intelligently by Williams- taking the urine test. It came back clean- and Tampa PD dropped charges- just like it’s supposed to happen. Bottom line- don’t drive if you’ve been drinking- ESPECIALLY if you are Famous, and have a free ride at your beck and call!!
January 14th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
I don’t think Mike Williams should sue them. I think he should be given a “get out of Jail free” card instead. Maybe he can get one for Gino too.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
OAR
Who said I wasn’t a safe driver? Just to let you know State Farm recognizes me as one; I have had their ‘safe driver’ discount since I have had a license.
Only saying, just because he was speeding, and just because he may have changed lanes excessivley dosen’t mean he should have charged with Wreckless Driving or DUI for that matter.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Gotcha Captain, I agree.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Joe here,
@Joke – Your post is ridiculous. You linked to Joe putting the news out there 5 or 6 hours after Williams’ arrest.
January 15th, 2011 at 2:39 am
Gitarlvr,
Yeah, I am a cop…and yeah, you do not blow into the intoxilizer 3000 until you get to the jail as the machine is the size of a fax…. We base our probable cause on what we view during the stop. I don’t walk up to the counter at KFC and tell you about how your job works but I will try to.get over myself.
On a separate note Joe and Hawaii buc, I didn’t mean to assert that you are calling all cops racist, just that people are assuming that this cop was onejust because he ended up being wrong. Yeah, there are bad cops, but I don’t know that this guy was one. I’ll watch the tape. I don’t work for the HCSO ot TPD so this guy isn’t my co worker. My point is just that for a group of guys who weren’t there, you seem to be making a lot of conclusions about what was in the mind of this deputy. Maybe he is a racist…or maybe he genuinely felt like Mike was intoxicated and he was doing his job. If we wanted to be liked, we would have become firefighters.
January 15th, 2011 at 2:45 am
mikeck:
That’s fair!
One of Joe’s favorite lines about respecting cops comes from the King of All Media, Howard Stern.
Stern once wrote: “My problem with the Rodney King issue was that the cops didn’t beat him enough.”
LOL Good point!
January 15th, 2011 at 4:48 am
He was speeding, which is enough to get pulled over regardless of weaving. He was also mouthing off and repeatedly playing the race card, which probably didn’t help his cause. I’m glad he didn’t get charged and ill be ecstatic if he learns from this and doesn’t slip up.
Shaun king was very cordial and cooperative during his DUI arrest. Now there’s a class act!
January 15th, 2011 at 8:54 am
It is very normal in today’s society for this sort of stuff to happen. Not only is it injustice but it’s racism at its best. That’s not the biggest issue. The biggest issue is the NFL doesn’t protect the player’s name until proven guilty, could it be a racial thing? Maybe but I tell you the truth, Tom Brady personal issues are not exposed. His wedding to the model was almost ruined by gun fire. Did the general public make this an issue? No, but what bothers me is that on a Friday morning in Arlington TX I come home from work and lay down to relax and watch some NFL Total Access and all I see is Mike Williams name painted on the screen for DUI. The NFL sales the players that are chosen to the public and protect the few that it chooses. Why have it taken an entire football season to get to the bottom of this Bret “Freakin” (Literally) Favre case. He behaved like a desperate old man but this is still not in the major news. It doesn’t bother me but this is an indicator that profiling is alive and well in not only law but in professional sports.
Thanks
January 15th, 2011 at 9:19 am
Mikeck,
I totally agree and to be honest, how can you be a cop and not be on edge because your life is constantly in danger. The funny thing is I hear a lot of classless people complain about police but they will not take care of their communities. For example, in my subdivision in Dallas, I live near low income apartments and Walmart so what do people with low income, without cars do when they go to Walmart? They shop and leave the shopping carts in the field and on bus stops. So I took it upon myself that I refuse to let this cancer take over my community and bring down the value. I weekly go to the field and the bus stop and neatly pick up the baskets. I also went to the management of Walmart and politely asked them to please send a weekly rotation to recoup their assets. They blew me off but they also got the point and started doing it. One person can make a difference but its a cancer to the good black communities and I can’ completely blame cops for some issues. We as blacks all around need to do better at representing ourselves. It starts at home and goes from there. I am sick with my family members too because they do some of the same foolery, even drug abuse. So I choose to be a light and an example through my decision making and lifestyle to show that where you from does not determine where you will end. I am very successful and it is by Gods grace but I grew up less than, poverty, and violence. I even had my cousins ex-wife question my hood “pass” and he quickly checked and said you can’t imagine what we have seen but that have nothing to do with having class. People should go to Iraq or Yemen for a year and come back…
January 15th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Mikeck says:
I don’t walk up to the counter at KFC and tell you about how your job works but I will try to.get over myself.
————————————————————-
Steve White had a few paragraphs on this stop when it happened. He said the same thing has happened to him in the same area, as well as a few others he knows. I guess he was saying that it is not an isolated incident and he was where i first saw the term DWB used. It sounds more like these cops standard Modis Operandi. There was also plenty of back up on this bogus arrest as the video shows, and they too were not using common sense. If you indeed are a cop, you have that same condescending attitude, as you think you are better than a KFC worker. This may be okay for all of us clowns to do, but when you identified yourself as a police officer you need to act like one, whether you are on duty or not. There are few things more dangerous than a cop with an attitude. Stay anonymous or check your personal feelings at the door. As far as these cops and racism…if it walks like a duck and quacks, chances are….
January 15th, 2011 at 10:59 am
The thing that will reduce “cop hating” the most is cops who remain within the restraints of the law. Let’s face it…if someone blows less than .08 they’ve had one beer or less, or less than 5oz of wine….OR have quit drinking long enough to have the above equal or lesser BAC (The urine analysis supports it even more).
I agree with Joe that this is a miscarriage of the law. When a citizen clearly passes every test and proves that they are within the parameters set by law, they should NOT be arrested. By what standards do law enforcement have to hold themselves to if the legal parameters no longer matter?
It’s the equivalent of you buying something at your favorite store and when you walk outside you’re arrested for shoplifting. There’s video of you making the purchase, the cashier says that you paid, you have a receipt, everything that law says proves that you own this item…but the cop is still suspicious that you stole the item so you’re going to jail anyway based on his suspicions and not the facts.
January 15th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
MVP
All I said was drive safe. How you got “your not” a safe driver out of that, I’ll never know.
January 15th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Bigmackattack….settle.down. my comment about KFC was in reference to gitarlvr telling me I don’t know what I am talking about. I wasn’t being condescending. Having said that, cops do developed bad attitudes because we deal with 4 types of people all day:scumbags criminals, people that call us racist because they get stopped for something, people that always bitch that there is never a cop when you need one but cry foul when you pull them over ( don’t you have some criminals to catch) and finally, good hard working people who just happen to be doing something wrong ( maybe). The key is remembering to deal with the 4th type differently and sometimes we forget that. If I am an a$$hole during a traffic stop, just keep in mind that I might have just come from a call where I had to pull a mangled.kid out of a car on the highway…and now you are on the side of the road yelling at me because you swear you stopped at that stop sign and I only stopped you because your black.
Greatest job in the world though. I’m not asking people not to hate cops….just that you don’t assume this one is a racist just because he was incorrect.
January 15th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
You are a poser Mikeck. Get a life. Cops in Tampa have field breathalyzers. They can make you blow at the scene and again on the big machine. Have fun pretending to be a cop just so you can try to win an internet message board argument….pathetic.
January 15th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Well maybe they do…but they would be the only ones in Florida who do. FDLE has prescribed 3 field sobriety exercises….the walk and turn, nostagmus, and leg lift to determine pc. People are then arrested and monitored for a short duration prior to breath testing at the jail to ensure they do not touch alcohol to their mouth as that will affect the test. Usually you do your booking sheet while waiting. Then they blow twice into a machine called and intoxilizer. Buy I guess I don’t know gitatlvr and I sure as hell don’t have to prove anything to you either way. Don’t want to believe I am a deputy, go ahead I couldn’t care less. Doesn’t change the fact that court recognized breathalyzer exams are given at the jail or a BAT mobile.
January 15th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Mikeck, if you can’t maintain your composure when a citizen is badmouthing you and being disrespectful, you shouldn’t be a cop. See, you’re making it about you, when it is about the general public, like them or not. I’m not going to go much further with you because I don’t think you’re smart enough to get the point.
January 15th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
BigMacAttack, cut him some slack it’s irrelevant if he is a cop or not. That’s a digress from the topic of discussion.
January 15th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Having seen the tape is’t clear the officer went way over-board wurg rgw sobirity test. Then to arrest hm when he obviously passed the test ws clearly not-appropriate. I feel the officer should be punished and/or provide a well publized applogy. Thanks.
January 15th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Well bigmacattack, I’m sorry but I’m human too. I do the best I can to be professional at all times but if I have just finished a particularly disturbing call or have just had a fight, then I am going to be stressed out. Yeah. I snap at people sometimes and I make mistakes…I’m not perfect and neither was the cop who popped williams…doesn’t make him a racist.
January 15th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
“Your not smart enough to understand that point”
Really???? Give me a %@%#*ing break. I try to bring in a counterpoint to the claim that the cop is a racist or screwed up and and that makes me stupid?…ok..god forbid I disagree on an issue.
January 15th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
I rest my case.
January 15th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Ok.
On another and completely unrelated note:
I hate the @*#*-ing Pittsburgh Steelers and their drunken frat-slob quarterback.
January 15th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Police officers, law enforcement, DEA, etc., are very frequently ex- military. They’re trained to trust each other – race is very rarely an issue. Profiling is not that uncommon, as some segments of society commit a hugely disportionate amount of crime! If that offends someone- they should go kick the crap outta the young idiots in their neighborhood that are committing crimes, instead of glorifying them. I had a friend who was a Sunni Muslem. We were waiting in line at TIA, when they were doing the random security checks. They pulled an elderly woman from the line. My friend asked if other terrorist groups threatened America. I said no, just the faction in Afganistan. He was puzzled why security ignored him, and was checking out the grandmother. I explained how we are careful not to profile, which he thought was rediculous. I asked if he would be uncomfortable / insulted being profiled. He said yes, but after what his fellow Arabs had done to this country, it would be stupid not to expect it- as he put it” my fellow middle easterners have made my bed. I expect to have to sleep in it!. Law enforcement doesn’t target 70 year old women- why? BECAUSE THEY VERY RARELY COMMIT CRIMES!! If a huge number of Cherokee Indians were frequently involved in drug smuggling, I would expect to be searched frequently. I wouldn’t like it , but would expect it. And if I found out some dumb ass Cherokee was smuggling- I would beat the crap out of him- for screwing up my life !
January 15th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I have always liked and respected the Steelers- until they turned their backs on 50 years of blue collar decency, to let a rapist Qb their team. Still very disappointed in the Rooney family. They are better than that
January 16th, 2011 at 12:59 am
@Joe: Your statement that “as Joe stated before, this smelled to high heaven all along of a blatant case of DWB” is what’s ridiculous.
As my earlier comment pointed out, your initial speculation was that Mike failed field sobriety tests, with zero hint that the police officer might have been out of line.
Also, check your archives. Unless you’re also commenting under the identities “Mr. Lucky” or “Unlucky”, then the first time you mentioned driving while black was January 13.
Speculation such as “Joe’s experience covering law enforcement tells him Williams could have failed field sobriety tests or the police suspect he was high on another substance” is fine– but you’ve gotta suck it up if you’re wrong. Don’t jump to the “this smelled to high heaven all along” crap.
January 16th, 2011 at 1:43 am
Joke:
Keep digging in the archives.
January 16th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Link?