Like I've said in the past, the cops in Athens are dirty...

[redandpewter55]

Backup offensive lineman Jonathan Owens was released on a $500 bond from the Athens Clarke-County jail Thursday afternoon for driving his scooter without a proper license.

According to police reports, Owens was arrested at East Campus Village by University of Georgia police because the scooter he was driving was higher than a 50cc and Owens did not have a motorcycle endorsement on his license.

According to a source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, Owens had stopped at a crosswalk to let a pedestrian pass when he was approached by a UGA police officer.

The officer examined the scooter Owens was driving and then asked for Owens to produce his license. Upon seeing that Owens did not have a motorcycle endorsement, the officer informed Owens that he was under arrest.

Owens was handcuffed and taken to the Athens Clarke-County jail.

Owens is a redshirt freshman who has appeared one game after making his debut against Tennessee Tech.

The 6-foot-4, 294-pounder missed spring practice due to a knee injury.

:ban:

 

[ernieren]

WOW thats some BS

 

[LionRyan]

He was driving without a license, so he got in trouble.

Am I reading something wrong?

 

[sliqwill]

He was driving without a license, so he got in trouble.

Am I reading something wrong?

i agree...

personally i hate the 'special' treatment of athletes...if anything they should be held to higher standards since they are in the spotlight of the university...

 

[redandpewter55]

He was driving without a license, so he got in trouble.

Am I reading something wrong?

Probable cause, other than him being a football player on a scooter?

Everyone realizes the guy broke a law, but is this worth being arrested and put in jail? A simple ticket would have done the job.

 

[redandpewter55]

i agree...

personally i hate the 'special' treatment of athletes...if anything they should be held to higher standards since they are in the spotlight of the university...

Nobody is asking for special treatment, but had it been me you or me on that scooter, would the cop have stopped us? No!

 

[sliqwill]

so what you are saying is that a cop knows what a redshirt freshman football player who hasnt played a game looks like?

im not sure i could pick out many athletes at niu given a chance...makes athens sound like mayberry, everyone apparently knows everyone...

an arrest may be a little extreme, but a ticket and impound would be standard i guess...maybe he had a little lip for the officer

 

[LionRyan]

It's a douchy cop move, but riding one of those scooters without a correct license is similar to:

Not wearing a seatbelt
Overly tinted windows
Jaywalking
Open container
Going "5 over"

...YOU are taking a risk, and while you will normally get away with it, you can get caught and you can get the matching punishment. A simple ticket would have done the job, I agree, but if you can go to jail for such a crime, then I say there isn't a story here.

He broke the law --> He went to jail.

 

[Brad]

Can they ask to see your license when you are not doing anything wrong that they know of? Maybe if it is a check point, but that just sounds a little stupid, IMO.

 

[LionRyan]

They can ask you anything, you have the right to say no or ask for a reason.

 

[Brad]

They can ask you anything, you have the right to say no or ask for a reason.

That is what I was thinking. You can always say no to a search, but the officer would need more probable cause than because he thought the guy would not have a license to go through with it.

 

[redandpewter55]

It's a douchy cop move, but riding one of those scooters without a correct license is similar to:

Not wearing a seatbelt
Overly tinted windows
Jaywalking
Open container
Going "5 over"

...YOU are taking a risk, and while you will normally get away with it, you can get caught and you can get the matching punishment. A simple ticket would have done the job, I agree, but if you can go to jail for such a crime, then I say there isn't a story here.

He broke the law --> He went to jail.

How many people do you know or have heard of that have gone to jail for such offenses?

 

[GiantFan]

I jsut want to see a picture of a 300 pounder on a scooter.

 

[northcutt_fan]

It's a douchy cop move, but riding one of those scooters without a correct license is similar to:

Not wearing a seatbelt
Overly tinted windows
Jaywalking
Open container
Going "5 over"

...YOU are taking a risk, and while you will normally get away with it, you can get caught and you can get the matching punishment. A simple ticket would have done the job, I agree, but if you can go to jail for such a crime, then I say there isn't a story here.

He broke the law --> He went to jail.

If I go to jail for those offenses, I don't want you on my defense team :salut:

 

[LionRyan]

How many people do you know or have heard of that have gone to jail for such offenses?

That's not what I meant.

If the punishment COULD mean jail time, you COULD get jail time.

I used those crimes as an example of small risks that you could get busted for, but stand a good chance to get away with. Like riding a scooter without a license.