Dennard Found Guilty on Felony Charges
So, the first major news of the offseason comes with a somber tone. Unfortunately, the DB situation in New England just got a little more complicated. Alfonzo Dennard had solidified the CB spot after McCourty's move to Safety, but it still remains to be seen if Fonzy will even be eligibile to play next year.
Dennard was found guilty of a felony assault on an officer, and the maximum sentence for such a crime is 6 years in prison. While I am not afraid of Dennard getting the maximum sentence, he could very well do some prison time. Dennard's lawyers are certainly pushing for probation, but limited jail time is a distinct possibility.
Attorney Joe Kelly said that it is common for judges to reduce the penalty in cases like this. The full story goes like this: Officer Ben Kopsa witnessed a fight between Dennard and a man named Ben Samani. Officer Kopsa said that he saw Dennard punch Samani in the face, and tried to arrest him. Not knowing that he was a cop, Dennard threw an elbow and tried to escape Kopsa who approached from behind. Dennard resisted further, but he denies the claim that he punched Officer Kopsa in the face.
Both prosecution and defense used a 17 second video clip to support their claims, but there are two vastly dissimilar sides to this story. There are essentially two points of disagreement: #1 Dennard and Samani both testified that Dennard did not punch Samani in the face, but rather only hit him in the chest (and did not injure him); and #2 Dennard denies that he ever punched the Officer in the face.
In my opinion, it seems like Dennard is getting screwed over in this trial. The Officer claimed that he wanted to arrest Dennard because he punched someone in the face, but that same man claims that it was not Dennard who punched him. Also, I can understand Dennard's initial resistance to the arrest as he was approached from behind. Finally, Dennard is being put in the position of "his word against mine" with this Officer.
Overall, it doesn't surprise me that he was found guilty of the charge, but it would surprise me if Dennard gets any significant jail time. This looks like a weak case by the prosecution that doesn't rest on any hard evidence. Nevertheless, the circumstances are enough to convict Dennard, given that the area where he was arrested is a hot-bed for booze-fueled assaults. Probation looks like the likely sentence, which would be the best possible scenario from a Patriots perspective.
Dennard was found guilty of a felony assault on an officer, and the maximum sentence for such a crime is 6 years in prison. While I am not afraid of Dennard getting the maximum sentence, he could very well do some prison time. Dennard's lawyers are certainly pushing for probation, but limited jail time is a distinct possibility.
Attorney Joe Kelly said that it is common for judges to reduce the penalty in cases like this. The full story goes like this: Officer Ben Kopsa witnessed a fight between Dennard and a man named Ben Samani. Officer Kopsa said that he saw Dennard punch Samani in the face, and tried to arrest him. Not knowing that he was a cop, Dennard threw an elbow and tried to escape Kopsa who approached from behind. Dennard resisted further, but he denies the claim that he punched Officer Kopsa in the face.
Both prosecution and defense used a 17 second video clip to support their claims, but there are two vastly dissimilar sides to this story. There are essentially two points of disagreement: #1 Dennard and Samani both testified that Dennard did not punch Samani in the face, but rather only hit him in the chest (and did not injure him); and #2 Dennard denies that he ever punched the Officer in the face.
In my opinion, it seems like Dennard is getting screwed over in this trial. The Officer claimed that he wanted to arrest Dennard because he punched someone in the face, but that same man claims that it was not Dennard who punched him. Also, I can understand Dennard's initial resistance to the arrest as he was approached from behind. Finally, Dennard is being put in the position of "his word against mine" with this Officer.
Overall, it doesn't surprise me that he was found guilty of the charge, but it would surprise me if Dennard gets any significant jail time. This looks like a weak case by the prosecution that doesn't rest on any hard evidence. Nevertheless, the circumstances are enough to convict Dennard, given that the area where he was arrested is a hot-bed for booze-fueled assaults. Probation looks like the likely sentence, which would be the best possible scenario from a Patriots perspective.
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