A Deeper Look At The Mike Williams Charges
February 10th, 2014
Of course, Joe turned to Tampa criminal defense attorney and Bucs fan Brett Metcalf to learn about the trespassing and criminal mischief charges facing wide receiver Mike Williams. Where else would Joe go to be educated on the rights of the accused?
Metcalf advised Joe that the State Attorney’s Office filed a “Direct Information” against Williams.
That’s not your run-of-the-mill arrest with handcuffs and mugshots.
“In my experience, that typically happens when a victim submits a Sworn Request for Prosecution with the State, who then reviews the evidence and decides whether to formally file charges. In this instance, the State evidently feels they can prove two misdemeanors against Mike Williams. …
“As for his charges, the State filed a Trespass and a Criminal Mischief. There are a number of variations of Trespass charges, but it generally means that he went onto someone else’s property without that person’s permission. Criminal Mischief means that he intentionally damaged someone else’s property.
“The really interesting part to me is that combining a Trespass with any other crime usually results in a Burglary charge, i.e., a felony. A Burglary is when someone is Trespassing with the intent to commit a crime. So if Mike Williams intended to damage someone’s property at the time he Trespassed, he could have easily been charged with a felony.
“Mike Williams not being charged with Burglary tells me one of two things:
1) At the time he Trespassed, he did not intend to commit the Criminal Mischief and, instead, it happened spontaneously afterward; or
2) The State is not very confident in the evidence against him, so they opted to file Misdemeanors as a compromise between filing a felony and not filing anything.“If the latter is true, I would expect Mike Williams to get a slap on the wrist, at best.”
So, for example, was Mike Williams climbing a fence without permission and the fence broke? Or was he asked to leave a bar, didn’t get out right away and accidentally broke a bottle on the floor on the way out? Perhaps Williams urinated on an expensive bush and his acidic stream damaged it? Those are examples of the crimes against society Williams might have committed.
Stick with Joe for more on the Williams case later today.
If you want your own free consultation with criminal lawyer Brett Metcalf, click the logo above or call 813-282-8600.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:05 am
Lets hope it isn’t something embarrasing like KW2’s incident. He probably refused to leave a bar or residence then broke something on the way out.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:31 am
OR, he could have went to a party he was invited to.
He said “Hey lets listen to #CMG”
Host said, “Get out of here with that sh*t! They suck!!”
He lost his cool and threw a bottle of beer through the window.
So he was told to leave but instead broke a window. He’s so sensitive about that rap music.
Hey, since we are speculating….
February 10th, 2014 at 9:35 am
I would have thought he had robbed a liqour store the way he was being judged by the fans here.
Never make assumptions, people.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:36 am
Can we let this play out before speculating? Let be right, not fast.
February 10th, 2014 at 9:53 am
Sounds like a domestic issue, but lets let it run it’s course thru the “justice”system.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:25 am
Catch ten td passes and about 900 yards and no one will even care if he intentionally harms a puppy or kitten
February 10th, 2014 at 10:38 am
Probably not much to it.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:50 am
With the 7th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select…..Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Clemson.
February 10th, 2014 at 10:51 am
@Chef Paul: You present a credible situation.
February 10th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Williams had a questionable reputation when the Bucs drafted him. I thought his was a good receiver and a valuable addition to the team. Personal problems aside, I hope he has a upcoming season that matches his best past performance.
February 10th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
Oh MW, Anyone who follow’s him on twitter. Could see this coming. As fan’s we want to see our player’s. Drinking H20 at a charity golf tournament. Not partying to all hour’s of the night. Posting pic’s of your drunk crew and yourself with a couple of half dressed honeys. I wonder what percentage of former player’s. That partied like rock star’s. Wished they had that $20 000 they spent in 1 night back.
February 10th, 2014 at 4:38 pm
Brett Metcalf is an awesome lawyer. If not for this site (Thanks Joe), I would have never found him. Like many parents in the Tampa area, my kid started using drugs/alcohol, and got addicted.
He passed out drunk at a traffic light at 3.30 am, and the Police found a Prescription Pain Pill on him.
It was not his first offense, and they wanted to send him to Prison.
He called me from Jail, and begged me to get him a lawyer.
Not knowing any lawyers, and still not sure I could afford one, I saw Brett Metcalf’s ad here at JBF, and called him.
Brett was awesome, his fees were quite affordable, and he let me make payments. He went to jail right away to visit my Son, and was able to get him into a drug treatment program with probation, vs 5 years in Prison!
My Son has been drug and alcohol free over a year, and Brett will be in court with him this Wednesday for a probation termination hearing.
Because Brett Metcalf was an ex Hillsborough County Prosecutor, it was good to read his take on the Mike Williams matter.
AS a Bucs Fan, I hope none of our team gets in trouble with the Police.
But if they do, it is great to know that JBF.Com has our own legal expert in criminal law, Brett Metcalf.
February 10th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Yeah…I would really like Sammy Watkins as a pick. We need a guy like that desperately.
March 24th, 2014 at 7:46 am
[…] the reports of his bad-neighbor status at his old house, and his order to appear in court on misdemeanor trespassing and criminal mischief charges. Williams, gashed thigh and all, is due back in court this […]