Attorney: Officers not picking on athletesBy Travis Haney (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
COLUMBIA — The attorney for one of the Columbia police officers charged with using excessive force against South Carolina football player Kevin Young took issue Tuesday with the notion that local law enforcement is "picking on" athletes. In a couple of recent instances it's actually the other way around, said Leigh Leventis, the Columbia-based attorney representing officer Roger Gilland. "I can't believe what Eddie Floyd's saying. I can't believe what Neal Lourie's saying," Leventis said, "that they'd attack these law enforcement agencies without any evidence." Floyd is the USC trustee who said a couple of weeks ago that campus police were unfairly targeting athletes. Other board members vehemently refuted those claims, which have not been substantiated. Lourie is the Columbia attorney representing Young. He's also represented numerous USC athletes, but not in a case against policemen. Leventis encouraged Lourie to work to change the policing laws through his brother, state legislator Joel Lourie, rather than "pick on" police. Leventis made the comments just after his client and fellow officer David Beddingfield Jr. were granted personal recognizance bonds Tuesday morning by South Carolina Circuit Judge G. Thomas Cooper Jr. A trial date has not been set. Beddingfield and Gilland were indicted Aug. 13 by a Richland County grand jury on one count each of misconduct in office stemming from the March 2 arrest of Young. Young was charged with fighting and resisting arrest, but he was released rather than taken into custody. Those charges were dropped during the summer months. But Leventis said, in Gilland's mind, "there's no question there was some resisting." Young, the 20-year-old offensive lineman from Clearwater, Fla., was in attendance at Tuesday's bond hearing. Young, who declined to comment after the hearing, stood about 10 feet behind the officers accused of striking him as the judge read the indictments aloud. John Meadors, a representative from the solicitor's office, then read a synopsis of statements from the summer-long SLED investigation into the incident. Meadors said a verbal altercation from earlier in the night became physical after a Five Points bar closed, with Young and another man fighting near the street. Three officers responded, with Beddingfield and Gilland attending to the 6-5, 311-pound Young, who had his shirt pulled over his head. Leventis said the officers did not know who Young was, that they were "absolutely" unaware he was a USC football player. "All they saw was a mountain of a guy," he said after the hearing. "They didn't know who he was and didn't want to get into an altercation with him. Who knows what happens when these kids drink and get a little liquid courage in them? ..." "They maintain they didn't strike him." According to the SLED report, Young says he was held from behind by one officer while the other hit him "four or five times." Young told the same story to responding medical technicians, Meadors said. Additionally in the SLED report, four witnesses claimed they did see an officer strike Young. However, when presented photographs of the officers, two witnesses said Beddingfield hit Young and two said Gilland struck him. The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m., with street lights the only source of light. One of the witnesses, Meadors said, was a bouncer for one of the nightclubs. Much was made Tuesday of size, as well, considering Young's height and weight compared to officers'. Leventis estimated Gilland to be about 5 foot 11, 200 pounds and Beddingfield to be 5 foot 7, 160 pounds. Also, Leventis said officers could've brought more charges against Young than they did. He noted that Young was found to be in possession of a fake identification card and had been illegally inside a bar as a minor. He'd also been drinking alcohol. Leventis said he thinks the officers were in a no-win situation. If they let Young go entirely, they would've been too lenient. If they went to the fullest extent of the law, or beyond it as they're alleged to have, then they're bullying athletes. "There's been a lot of talk about picking on athletes in this particular situation," Leventis said during the hearing. "It's a darned if you do, darned if you don't thing." Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the new South Carolina blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks. |
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Comments
This article has 13 comment(s)
Posted by bigriver1 on August 20, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hmm lets see. 1:30 a.m. a drunk 6-5 311 pound sc football player starts a fight in FIVE POINTS. Sure this drunk went in quietly. These policemen should sue scu, Young, and wonder stevie when this is all over. I can see the truth coming out and backfiring BIGTIME on all these crying babies. Desperation is coming out in all these boosters who now realize another legend is another failure. Next legend please.
Posted by vmid on August 20, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
keep up the good work and please do not give up. Young is a crybaby and is guilty as sin. Another prodigy not allowed to hit bottom.
Posted by Chanticleer on August 20, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Young is guilty of:
Fighting
Fake I.D.
In a bar under age
Drinking under age
and he is the victim???? Okaaaaaaaaay
Posted by nopeeky on August 20, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You Clemson folk are so right. Young is guilty of being a college student. If he were smart he should try and get PTI like McDaniel (WWE Coed Champion) and all will be forgiven. How do people throw stones that live in glass houses...
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yes and he obviously was not charged with all those things. It sounds like he is making up bogus charges against police officers. That is for the court to decide though.
I don't think making up lies about a police officer is being a "college student". Obviously this is not the same situation as McDaniel or nearly as bad, but then no one but the usc fan compared it to that. Also saying that he is just "guilty of being a college student" is silly. So we are supposed to let these guys bully the police?? If the police really in fact didn't do anything wrong, what kind or message will this send to other students?
I am just curious to see how it plays out... I don't know who did what. Hopefully the court will make the right choice on that.
Posted by nopeeky on August 20, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How would he be bullying them if there were numerous reports that the officers struck him while he was on the ground. These were impartial bystanders who gave this report to SLED, unlike McDaniel's bext friends who countered the woman's report. Never do you hear of officers being charged unless there is substantial evidence to do so. SC players have been arrested and detained in the past and the police I am sure were justified in doing this, but to detain someone and then hit them in the face and the back of the head while they are down is excessive. I don't care if he was Andre the Giant, once you have them down and detained no need to get a few extra licks in. Although I do agree with you IslandGirl...the court will decide, you just don't see this type of accusation from a suspect go to Court unless there is some facts to support this type of claim.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 2:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yes and the numerous reports don't match according to the article. AND how do YOU know they are impartial bystanders?? YOU don't know that.
Yes you would see that kind of accusation go to court because like they said you are darned if you do and darned if you don't... if they did not take it to court do you think anyone would let it rest? I don't.
You are writing like these cops have been proven guilty.. GUESS what they haven't so don't even act like you know what happened.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I just see it as bullying the cops if indeed he is lying...
And that is scary to think he could just trump up a charge.
I just hate these kinda things because We as readers can never get a really clear story of the facts.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I just think the case is being heard because it is cops. I think they are (and probably should be) held up to a higher standard. I do think that a case against a cop with this kind of publicity might be easier to get into court than others.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We will see... Like I said we don't really know all the facts.. that is why we don't get to decide! Have a good day.
(Don't take me the wrong way please. I just like to debate.)
Posted by rebel1 on August 20, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
did you puttykat pukes read about the grand jury ind or yall just skip over that. I guess they are crooked too. ok your mama, where's your copy and paste about USC and SOS.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 20, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't say they were crooked. I just said they were more likely to take a case to court because it involves cops.
Posted by wonderdog on August 20, 2008 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It appears that the attention is being deflected away from the laws that Young was breaking. Not all college students have fake ID's, and "everybody does it" doesn't make it right. I also believe that if you are getting a free or almost free college education, you should behave in an effort to make the people who donated it think you are worth it.