Tear down the wall... tear down the wall..
Earlier today, Miykel Faulcon, who was a passenger in the car with Hairston at the notorious traffic stop in Durham, had his day in court and was found guilty of misdemeanor drug possession. He didn't get much of a sentence -- probation and 10 hours of community service.
In itself, no big news.
BUT ...
The verdict apparently outraged Faulcon's mother, Trudy Ransom, who couldn't understand why the charges against Hairston were dismissed, while her son was found guilty. She tweeted immediately after the verdict: The perp walks and the passenger gets probation?
A few minutes later, Trudy tweeted: I am spilling the beans. You haven't heard the last of this.
She later tweeted that she is calling Eric Prisbell, the USA Today reporter who had written on the incident, and giving him the real story.
Now, no telling what info she has -- or whether she will follow up on her threats -- but it is interesting ... just as it's interesting that Faulcon was convicted while the charges against Hairston were dropped. BTW: the case for the third guy in the car was continued ...
Mods: I hate to start a new thread, but the old Hairston thread was locked. If this belongs somewhere else, please move it.
Tear down the wall... tear down the wall..
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm starting to feel sorry for ol' roy, dadgummit.
Knowing teenagers, I'd be willing to bet PJ told ol' roy that the weed wasn't his - and the dismissal of charges supported the story.
I know well the exasperation of trying to get to the full truth, not just the truth a kid calculates you will find out about. Experience in cross-examination as a trial attorney helps (and visa versa) but a kid that is afraid of the consequences can be a tough nut to crack.
If the weed was PJ's, where does that leave ol' roy?
As best I can tell, a co-defendant's mom wants to "spill the beans" based on an exculpatory story her son told her. Hearsay from a tainted witness.
If the kid makes a statement himself, I would at least give it some potential cred. Still a tainted source, but at least a witness with some first hand knowledge.
But the kid's not gonna talk -- he is PJ's friend and hopes to be so down the road too.
Mychal Faulcon does not play basketball for a nationally known school; P. J. Hairston does.
If you get in trouble with the law it is better to be a basketball player at UNC-Chapel Hill than at Elizabeth City State University.
Responses to specific but unidentified previous posts:
Threadwise, what is raveled may become unraveled, and vice-versa.
The sins of Kentucky are visited on Cleveland State.
I rather doubt that Trudy knows any more than the rest of us -- no wonder she's pissed.
This is certainly an interesting turn of events. Having followed this closely on Pack Pride, I recall Ms. Ransom was offered the chance to do an interview by Laura Keeley. Ms. Ransom turned down the offer and from what I am reading in her tweets today, is that she thought her son would be treated the same as PJ, which is why she has kept her mouth shut.
It will be interesting to see if she actually accepts the current offer from Eric Prisbell to do an interview and if she does what will come out of it.
Is Mom trying to influence the legal process and what she views as unequal treatment for her son?
Or is she frustrated and upset enough to tell the "whole story", details not specifically relevant to the proceedings, but very interesting to the NCAA and the general public?
If it's a broader narrative, I'll certainly tune in.
Perhaps, in return for getting his charges dropped, PJ proffered a voluntary statement regarding the drugs?
As will I.
My point is that there is a world of difference between the kid who was in the car talking, and the mom who only knows what her son told her talking. Of course her son said it wasn't him. Or she thinks her angel was led astray.
Don't get me wrong, I hope she comes out with hearsay to the effect that PJ was rolling a joint and loading a clip in the gun, while on the phone to Fats thanking him for three months of free car use. But all of that is rank hearsay in every literal and legal sense of the word. If she is really pissed, she will get her son to come out and give his first-hand version of what happened.
Or better yet, say her son is at NCAA headquarters giving a statement.
But yeah, Roy is in for another Maalox Masher or whatever Dickie V calls them.
I agree. She should be pissed. Her son took the rap for a UNC star, and got treated differently even though there was no more evidence on him than PJ. The driver is almost always held responsible for the vehicle and the contents in it. That the UNC lawyers got the charges dismissed on PJ (totally unfair, especially considering the gun) even though he was driving, and the passenger got a conviction is very telling on many levels.
I am interested to hear what the lady has to say. Agree with others that she has held her peace to this point expecting that her son would have his charges dropped as well.