Police arrested Terrapins football running back Wes Brown and charged him with second-degree assault, theft and unlawful interception of oral communication on July 3 after an incident in the 4300 block of Knox Road, near South Campus Commons 3.
UPDATE 1:20 p.m. July 30:
The charges have been dropped against Terrapins football running back Wes Brown and a preliminary hearing scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled, a Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman said.
“Essentially, it was decided that there was just a lack of evidence to be able to move forward,” spokeswoman Leslie W. Graves said.
The news initially broke in a Twitter post from @PGStAtty on Monday afternoon.
“Investigation into incident found no evidence of a crime being committed,” the post read.
Court records indicate Brown’s case file is still active.
Brown’s lawyer Jason Shapiro, a 22-year criminal defense attorney with Columbia-based Shapiro & Mack P.A., said Monday night he was happy to hear of the developments at the state’s attorney’s office but had not yet received confirmation himself.
“Going forward with the case against Wes Brown is not justice,” Shapiro said. “The bottom line is justice will be served by the charges being dropped. Hopefully it will be further served by Wes Brown’s re-admittance to the school.”
This morning, Shapiro said Brown was willing to talk to police in the open the night of July 3, as a potential witness to a shooting in Baltimore. Shapiro said that role gave Brown the right to request not to go to headquarters for questioning.
An athletic department spokesman said Brown’s status with the team remains unchanged and he is still suspended indefinitely.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
UPDATE 8 p.m. July 29:
University Police spokesman Sgt. Aaron Davis said his department was investigating the development at about 5:40 p.m.
“If they are in fact dropped, it’s just that: they’re dropped,” Sgt. Davis said of the charges.
“Unless Baltimore wants our help with something… Our involvement in the case would be over.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Original story below:
Terrapins football running back Wes Brown was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, theft less than $1,000 and unlawful interception of oral communications on July 3, according to University Police spokesman Sgt. Aaron Davis.
Brown was wanted for questioning by Baltimore police in a nonfatal shooting, according to a probable cause statement filed in Prince George’s County District Court. In the statement, Baltimore police said Brown’s vehicle was involved in the shooting.
Brown, 19, agreed to meet police in College Park on July 3 but later said he would not go with police to headquarters for questioning without a parent, according to the statement.
“Why can’t you question me here?” Brown asked, according to the statement.
After police told Brown he did not need a parent to accompany him, he allegedly shoved a detective and ran. Police then chased Brown through the South Hill area. Officers arrested him near the staircase between Commons 3 and Montgomery Hall.
Brown also faces charges for theft and unlawful interception of oral communications, Davis said.
Prior to his meeting with police, Brown allegedly approached two students in front of the 7-Eleven on Knox Road and asked to borrow a cell phone to record police so they couldn’t frame him, according to the statement.
After arresting Brown, one detective found the phone with a voice recorder app activated, according to the statement.
During questioning, Brown reportedly admitted to fleeing, shoving the officer and recording his interaction with police, according to the report. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for second-degree assault, 18 months for theft less than $1,000 and five years for unlawful interception of oral communications.
The athletic department also released a statement about Brown’s arrest on July 5.
“We are extremely concerned that one of our student-athletes, Wes Brown, was arrested Wednesday evening,” the statement read. “This is a matter that we take very seriously. We have been in contact with the local authorities and will continue to cooperate throughout the entire process.
“The University of Maryland has suspended Brown, and he is not permitted to participate in any athletic-related activities. Since this is a pending investigation, we will refrain from having any further comment at this time.”
Court records indicate Brown was released from police custody July 5 on bail, pending a July 31 preliminary hearing in Prince George’s County.
Brown was a former four-star recruit out of Good Counsel, where he was a teammate of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. He ranked second on the Terps in rushing as a freshman with 382 yards on 90 attempts. He scored two touchdowns in eight games, as injuries forced him to miss the season’s final four games.
Brown sat out spring practice following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, but he was still listed on the Terps’ depth chart as a co-starter at running back along with Brandon Ross and Albert Reid.
