Emoni Bates, a former high school star who moved from Memphis in eastern Michigan this summer, was arrested Sunday night about two miles from the Superior Township, Michigan campus after agents discovered a fire in a vehicle he was driving.
Derrick Jackson, the public information officer for Superior Township, told ESPN that the agents “initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle that did not stop” at an intersection.
Bates was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and “tampering with identification marks” on a firearm. He was charged on Monday and his lawyer, Steve Haney, asked to plead not guilty.
According to Haney, the judge accepted a non-monetary personal recognition bond for Bates’ immediate release from prison. The next date for Bates’ trial is scheduled for October 6.
Haney told ESPN that the Sunday night arrest occurred after a normal traffic stop when Bates was driving a borrowed car that had a gun. “There’s a lot more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, they stopped him and a gun was found in the car.”
Under the Michigan Criminal Code, a person accused of carrying a concealed weapon can face imprisonment “no more than 5 years” and a fine of up to $ 2,500. The identification alteration charge on a firearm carries a sentence of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $ 1,000.
Michigan released a statement Monday afternoon announcing that Bates would be suspended.
Bates, a 6-foot-9-foot-tall striker, was considered one of the country’s elite prospects during his high school career, ranking # 1 in the class of 2022 until he reclassified last summer and ranked in third place in 2021.
WXYZ in Detroit initially denounced Bates’ arrest.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello contributed to this story.
–
