Williams, Attorney Await Arrest

The Miami Herald ^ | 02/09/2004 | Susan Miller Degnan

[Therapist]

As Broward County officials prepare to arrest Carol City linebacker Willie Williams for violating probation, the criminal defense lawyer for Williams will try to make the process as painless as possible.

''I called his probation officer to ask for a surrender,'' said Williams' attorney, Paul Lazarus, on Sunday. ``Instead of them coming out and arresting him with a warrant, I requested that they give him a notice to appear.''

That decision would be made by Broward County Circuit Court judge Michael G. Kaplan, the same judge who presided over Williams' felony burglary case in the summer of 2002, when Kaplan put Williams on 18 months' probation.

Williams, 19, a Parade All-American who signed to play football at the University of Miami, has been arrested on theft-related charges 10 times since he was 14.

During Williams' University of Florida recruiting trip to Gainesville from Jan. 30-Feb. 1, he was named in three criminal complaints.

Williams could face as many as five years in prison for violating probation -- or Kaplan could extend his probation. That would not include separate penalties for charges to be filed by Gainesville state attorney Bill Cervone. Cervone told The Herald in Saturday's editions his office ``may be filing some formal charges as soon as [today].''

Williams' probation ends Wednesday.

[Therapist]

Former Clintonista Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, now President of the University of Miami, must be proud of her liberal admissions program. Although Williams may not realize his potential to be a great football player, his felony burglary conviction shows that he has all the tools.

[babaloo]

How does one become a Parade "All-American" after being arrested 10 times for theft charges since the age of 14?

[yarddog]

It sounds like he is wanting to make the top 10 list.

The one put out by the FBI.

[Therapist]

The Parade must mean the lineup at the hoosegow.

[Sgt_Schultze]

...his felony burglary conviction shows that he has all the tools.

All the tools to become a member of the untapped democrat constituency, convicted felons and convicts.

[zygoat]

''I called his probation officer to ask for a surrender,'' said Williams' attorney, Paul Lazarus, on Sunday. ``Instead of them coming out and arresting him with a warrant, I requested that they give him a notice to appear"

To hell with that. Go get him! It's not like getting cuffed is going to be a first time experience for the damned thief. Florida law enforcement and courts have been screwing up enough, they should not pander to anymore criminals, or their slimy lawyers.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I wondered where that pile of crap ended up.

[Therapist]

Perhaps they can remake "The Longest Yard" a movie starring Burt Reynolds about a football game between the prison guards and the inmates. We know which team Williams will play on.

[Therapist]

Here's the link:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0071771/

[Libertarian444]

Bill Hemmer of CNN just had a reporter on from the Miami Herald who co-wrote a recruting diary with Williams for the newspaper. The caption on the bottom of the screen read "Have colleges gone too far??" during the interview. The entire interview was how poor "Willie" (as they dolefully referred to him) was really a "good kid" (how often have you heard this??) and that he was a victim of the corrupting $$ influence of big-time college athletics. What a pile of horse manure! The kid is a scumbag, and as usual, CNN was making excuses for appalling behavior of an inner-city hoodlum.