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Saban on Mitchell lockdown: ‘Not in the wrong place at the wrong time’
Alabama football coach Nick Saban announces suspension of CB Tony Mitchell following his arrest.
Suspended Alabama defense attorney Tony Mitchell drove 141 mph last week as he tried to flee Florida police before being arrested, according to an arrest report obtained by AL.com.
Mitchell and a passenger in his vehicle, Christophere Lewis, were arrested by deputies from the Holmes County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office last Wednesday and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and/or supply it. Lewis was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday that Mitchell has been “suspended by the team and all team activities pending the gathering of more information on the situation and his legal circumstances.”
According to the arrest report, released Monday night by AL.com after Saban’s announcement, deputies seized 226 grams of marijuana — just under 8 ounces — and more than $7,000 in cash from the vehicle.
Police initially pursued Mitchell after observing him driving 78mph in a 55mph zone, according to the report. Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger “then accelerated to a high speed” and was eventually clocked at 141 mph before police “lost view of the vehicle.”
Mitchell and Lewis were stopped at a nearby location seven minutes later, where police “smelt the smell of burning marijuana coming from the vehicle,” according to the report. Mitchell admitted to fleeing police and said Lewis told him to “strike”. Police noted in the report that Mitchell’s eyes were “red and glassy” and that he “appeared to have a slow and/or delayed response to question-answering.”
According to the report, police also recovered a loaded firearm – a Springfield 9mm – from the vehicle. Mitchell, who held a secret gun permit, and Lewis, who did not have a permit, both denied possession of the marijuana and firearm.
Mitchell, a freshman, is a former Four Star Contestant and ESPN Top 100 player. The Crimson Tide opened their spring training Monday.
“Everyone has the opportunity to make choices,” Saban said. “It’s not like being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have to be responsible for who you are with, who you are with and what you do, who you connect with and what situations you find yourself in. Make an effort.
“It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make decisions and when you make decisions that put you in bad situations.”