Tweet
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/2...ossession-case
World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has been found guilty of misdemeanor marijuana possession, but won’t spend any time behind bars.
Tuscaloosa Municipal Judge Ricky McKinney found Wilder, 32, guilty and ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service at the Benjamin Barnes Branch YMCA in west Tuscaloosa.
City prosecutors asked the judge to hand down a harsher sentence that would have included two days in jail and participation in a diversion program, which would required substance abuse education and court monitoring.
The judge instead gave Wilder a 30-day suspended sentence and community service.
“Judge McKinney is a fine judge, and we respect his ruling,” Wilder’s attorney, Paul Patterson said. “I will be meeting with Mr. Wilder in the next few days to discuss our appellate options, and we will consider what is best for him and his family.”
The city prosecutors had asked for two days in jail in accordance with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office’s “gun-present” policy, in which anyone convicted of crime that occurred while they were in possession of a firearm would be required to serve a mandatory two days in jail. Wilder had a gun under the driver’s seat that is legal and registered to him, Patterson said.
Wilder was arrested during a traffic stop at the former Books-A-Million parking lot on Skyland Boulevard in June. Tuscaloosa Police officers searched the Cadillac Escalade with his permission, and found marijuana that his lawyer said belonged to someone else.
“Mr. Wilder adamantly denies ownership of this small amount of marijuana that was left in one of his many vehicles,” Patterson said Thursday. “He’s made arrangements to make sure this never happens again.”
Attorney Paul Patterson said at the time that someone had been driving the SUV while Wilder was in Atlanta. He had returned to Tuscaloosa in his Rolls Royce a few hours before the arrest.
Wilder pleaded not guilty. Rather than a trial, he stipulated to the facts of the case as they were reported by Tuscaloosa Police and asked the judge to determine an appropriate sentence.
The Tuscaloosa native started boxing at Skyy Gym in Northport in 2005. He was the only American boxer to win an Olympic medal at the Beijing Games, leading to his “Bronze Bomber” nickname.
World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has been found guilty of misdemeanor marijuana possession, but won’t spend any time behind bars.
Tuscaloosa Municipal Judge Ricky McKinney found Wilder, 32, guilty and ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service at the Benjamin Barnes Branch YMCA in west Tuscaloosa.
City prosecutors asked the judge to hand down a harsher sentence that would have included two days in jail and participation in a diversion program, which would required substance abuse education and court monitoring.
The judge instead gave Wilder a 30-day suspended sentence and community service.
“Judge McKinney is a fine judge, and we respect his ruling,” Wilder’s attorney, Paul Patterson said. “I will be meeting with Mr. Wilder in the next few days to discuss our appellate options, and we will consider what is best for him and his family.”
The city prosecutors had asked for two days in jail in accordance with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office’s “gun-present” policy, in which anyone convicted of crime that occurred while they were in possession of a firearm would be required to serve a mandatory two days in jail. Wilder had a gun under the driver’s seat that is legal and registered to him, Patterson said.
Wilder was arrested during a traffic stop at the former Books-A-Million parking lot on Skyland Boulevard in June. Tuscaloosa Police officers searched the Cadillac Escalade with his permission, and found marijuana that his lawyer said belonged to someone else.
“Mr. Wilder adamantly denies ownership of this small amount of marijuana that was left in one of his many vehicles,” Patterson said Thursday. “He’s made arrangements to make sure this never happens again.”
Attorney Paul Patterson said at the time that someone had been driving the SUV while Wilder was in Atlanta. He had returned to Tuscaloosa in his Rolls Royce a few hours before the arrest.
Wilder pleaded not guilty. Rather than a trial, he stipulated to the facts of the case as they were reported by Tuscaloosa Police and asked the judge to determine an appropriate sentence.
The Tuscaloosa native started boxing at Skyy Gym in Northport in 2005. He was the only American boxer to win an Olympic medal at the Beijing Games, leading to his “Bronze Bomber” nickname.