Case Against UM's Jones Dropped; Same Likely For Darling
Canes fans can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief.
The case against University of Miami offensive lineman Jahair Jones will not be prosecuted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Jones, who will be a redshirt sophomore this coming season, appeared in misdemeanor bond court Thursday and had the case dropped.
"They determined the arrest form was legally insufficient to substantiate the criminal charge," Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office spokesman Ed Griffith told the Miami Herald on Thursday.
Jones and fellow offensive lineman Trevor Darling, were arrested in Miami Beach Wednesday for "resisting officer without violence,'' according to the arrest affidavits.
Simply, the wrong terminology was used for Jones' and Darling's charge - opening the door for the charges to be dropped.
Charges are still pending for Darling because he bonded out and has not yet appeared in court. Because of the swift action taken in Jones' case, it is likely that Darling will also have the charges dropped. Darling's case has not yet been scheduled by the Office of the Clerk of the Court.
Originally, Miami-Dade County Public Records showed mugshots of both linemen, stating that they were "resisting officer without violence to his person" and had bonds set at $1,000.
University of Miami athletic director Blake James did release a statement regarding the arrests.
"I am aware of the reported incident involving two student-athletes last night and we are still gathering information," James said. "I have very high expectations for all of our student-athletes, as I know Coach [Mark] Richt does for his team, and any misconduct will be addressed."
A copy of the arrest affidavit says that both Jones and Darling were given "five lawful orders" from one officer to remove themselves from the "middle of the roadway" as they were "impeding traffic and were a safety hazard" to themselves and others. Another officer gave them two more "lawful orders" but they still refused to move. The affidavit also said that both officers were in full uniform and that once Darling and Jones were taken into custody they confirmed that they heard the orders but "continued not to follow orders".
The Hurricanes are set to begin their spring practice this coming Tuesday and the program hasn't confirmed whether or not Darling and Jones would be with the team.