Attorney provides details of alleged crimes by two UGA players
Two Georgia football players were arrested on a pair of felony charges early Tuesday morning.
As more information is gathered on the alleged crimes committed by Bulldogs freshmen Julian Rochester and Chad Clay, it has become apparent that the weapons involved were actually BB guns.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution uncovered details to the alleged crime through Athens attorney Kim Stephens.
Here’s a snippet of the newspaper’s report:
According to Athens attorney Kim Stephens, the players apparently were shooting solo cups in their dorm room with a BB gun, which left marks on the door and in other areas of the room. The way the statute reads, anything that shoots a projectile — “including a straw and spitball” — fits the definition of a weapon on campus.
“Every kid eating with a steak knife in the campus dining hall commits a felony under the statute,” Stephens said.
The current political debate over campus carry legislation makes this a particularly volatile issue. House Bill 859 sits on the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal and would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside four places: dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events. Everywhere else, including campus child care centers, music concert venues and classrooms, would be open under the bill.
Clay and Rochester are charged with possession of a weapon in a school zone and second-degree criminal damage.
As of the publication of this article, Rochester and Clay were still listed as in custody at the Athens-Clarke County jail.