Bouknight charged with evading responsibility, interfering with police and more

[Kenny11]

The piling on and looking for blood aspect that’s happening on the news, Twitter, and from our beat reporters is a little too much. The truth is nobody besides us knows who Bouknight is (before this). He hasn’t scored one basket yet, he wasn’t a McDonalds all American and the crime he’s charged with isn’t exactly newsworthy. I have family members that are uconn fans and watch almost every game but they don’t follow recruiting. Most season ticket holders didn’t even know who he is (before this). They wouldn’t know Bouknight until they notice him scoring in a game this season. CT is treating this like a huge celebrity story to a good kid that wouldn’t be recognized in the mall

 

[polycom]

So his life should be over? No second chances? This was not a violent crime and thankfully nobody was injured. He's young and he screwed up royally but it's a good kid from a good family(Hurley's words) and by all accounts this was a first offense. Let the legal system, Dan Hurley and the University decide how to proceed. All the people with their judgements must be so perfect. Fans and reporters tend to get overly punitive when a Uconn basketball player gets in trouble as if it's a personal afront to their high moral standards. Maybe college athletes make out better legally than the average student when they screw up, but the average student doesn't have his worst life moment told to the world on ESPN, newspaper websites, twitter, etc...He also doesn't get called a punk by people on a message board by people that never even met him. Ironically, most of those same people will be cheering for him in a couple months when his basketball abilities are used to help their favorite team win and he's a means to their fandoms end.

yes I said his life should be offer and he should be banned from society and should be locked away with murders and rapists. Yes that’s what I said.

 

[freescooter]

Normal student does this he gets arrested and expelled. Basketball player does this...we'll see what happens. World isn't fair. To all you people saying everyone does stupid things, how about you all shut up. Everyone does stupid things, not everyone is a highly touted recruit, drives recklessly while likely drunk without a license after allegedly stealing a car. Can you all for one time take off your ridiculous UConn colored glasses.

Normal student is paying $35000 or more a year and didn’t get tutors and special study rooms and such. Plus probably has to shell out for a lawyer who isn’t as slick as the guy Bouknight will be directed to. This was at best a really stupid move and at worst something much more serious. We shall see if Hurley is a man or a mouse in how this gets handled. That the kid participated in. 1st night and isn’t suspended suggests his preferred snack is cheese but we will see how it plays out. I mean didn’t Ollie suspend Adams for a lesser offense?

 

[MattMang23]

Certainly true. But no field sobriety test was administered. And if Bouknight was indeed “booking”it away from the car before the cop got there then I think any smell based evidence is incredibly weak. In this era, erratic driving can come from many sources. Texting is one but also lack of experience. He has no license, it’s dark, Dove says the road is difficult. Was the girl in the car? If he kept her from driving then that’s a positive.

The kid messed up big time in any event. But unlike some grumpy old men, I like Hurley’s approach. The kid is ashamed. He’s paying in other ways and this is likely to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on his life as a lesson. Many kids need a second chance after mistakes like this and the system instead sends them down a dark path. I hope we all support James as he works to show us, his coaches and others who he can be.

I agree with every word you typed except what I’ve highlighted. The report doesn’t say that’s what happened. Amore’s article says he was “stopped” by police (I tend to believe police reported to the scene of a vehicle vs. sign mva and made contact with JB rather than him being “stopped.”) It says JB “ran from the scene shortly after being asked for identification.” The insinuation is not that he exited the vehicle and immediately took off; rather the wording indicates he was confronted and, as we learned yesterday, was asked for ID. He said he had none and then took off. So the officer seems to have initiated the investigation with JB still on-site. Amore reports the warrant actually says JB “fled while talking to police.”

Either way, like I said earlier in this thread, I don’t think we are looking at any alcohol-related charges. I hope he learns from this mistake. It would seem it could have been much much worse. I’ll root for him.

 

[huskymedic]

Certainly true. But no field sobriety test was administered. And if Bouknight was indeed “booking”it away from the car before the cop got there then I think any smell based evidence is incredibly weak. In this era, erratic driving can come from many sources. Texting is one but also lack of experience. He has no license, it’s dark, Dove says the road is difficult. Was the girl in the car? If he kept her from driving then that’s a positive.

This article is buried back a bit - it might help.

New details of UConn basketball player James Bouknight’s arrest released in warrant including dispute over whether he had permission to drive vehicle

 

[AtlantaHusky]

Better now than his Jr. Year. Lord knows I made my mistakes in college (and after). I get it, it's magnified for a great athlete but if it allows him to become a man sooner... - it's all part of his journey and can benefit him. Of course I wish it never happened but it did. Let's move forward.

 

[UCfor3]

yes I said his life should be offer and he should be banned from society and should be locked away with murders and rapists. Yes that’s what I said.

You definitely made sure you got your pound of flesh while at the same time telling the rest of us we were crazy unless we held his actions to the same contemptable standard you do. Sorry to dissappoint. The takedown mentality for not only UConn basketball, but society in general has gone past the point of ridiculous.

 

[polycom]

You definitely made sure you got your pound of flesh while at the same time telling the rest of us we were crazy unless we held his actions to the same contemptable standard you do. Sorry to dissappoint. The takedown mentality for not only UConn basketball, but society in general has gone past the point of ridiculous.

yes because I believe in cancel culture lol. What has happened to this place? If he stole a car, drove drunk, crashed a car, ran from the cops, speeding without a license. He should get in a ton of trouble. End of story if that didn’t happen then his punishment should be proportional. The idea that he’s a kid is stupid and not a defense. The idea that everyone does stupid things is also stupid because not everyone is equal.

 

[CL82]

Normal student does this he gets arrested and expelled.

For a car accident and suspicion of DUI/underage drinking? Are you sure about that?

 

[Chief00]

Doesn't matter if he was drunk or that he was drinking under the age of 21.

He reportedly smelled of alcohol and was behind the wheel of a car. That's all that matters and it's very, very bad - period.

Assuming the facts of the officer's account are all true, there has to be a suspension here.

We will probably never know that and that’s why it wasn’t charged. Let’s stick to what was charged not what someone thought they smelled.

 

[AntG168]

No way he gets a semester suspension. This school knows what butters it’s bread. That’d be heavy handed imo

 

[intlzncster]

Normal student is paying $35000 or more a year and didn’t get tutors and special study rooms and such. Plus probably has to shell out for a lawyer who isn’t as slick as the guy Bouknight will be directed to.

At big time schools, these kids provide more monetary and cultural value than a regular student. And get more leeway as a result. Except at UCONN.

You'd be happier rooting for California Baptist.

This was at best a really stupid move and at worst something much more serious. We shall see if Hurley is a man or a mouse in how this gets handled. That the kid participated in. 1st night and isn’t suspended suggests his preferred snack is cheese but we will see how it plays out. I mean didn’t Ollie suspend Adams for a lesser offense?

Jalen Adams was suspended 1 practice and 1 game lmao

And Hurley suspended Sid Wilson half the season last yeargtfo

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Maybe he was reading the boneyard and driving

 

[CL82]

who isn’t as slick as the guy Bouknight will be directed to.

By "slick" I assume you mean "competent" or did you deliberately intend to publicly disparage Rob Britt.

 

[Chief00]

For a car accident and suspicion of DUI/underage drinking? Are you sure about that?

Agree, I thought in the USA you had to be guilty upon a reasonable doubt of a charge. Certainly, not guilty of what wasn’t charged but a cop had a suspicion about - based on an encounter of a few seconds.

 

[UCDaveD]

For a car accident and suspicion of DUI/underage drinking? Are you sure about that?

No he isn’t because my Sophomore year roommate did something nearly identical and didn’t get expelled.

 

[superjohn]

yes because I believe in cancel culture lol. What has happened to this place? If he stole a car, drove drunk, crashed a car, ran from the cops, speeding without a license. He should get in a ton of trouble. End of story if that didn’t happen then his punishment should be proportional. The idea that he’s a kid is stupid and not a defense. The idea that everyone does stupid things is also stupid because not everyone is equal.

Well considering he's not charged with stealing a car or driving drunk...

 

[polycom]

For a car accident and suspicion of DUI/underage drinking? Are you sure about that?

And stealing a car and running from the cops... but facts don’t matter.

 

[polycom]

Well considering he's not charged with stealing a car or driving drunk...

Cool.

 

[Devland]

As much as I want to see him play for UConn, if he stole the car and was driving under the influence, kick him out of the university. Oui/Dui/Dwi is attempted murder as far as I'm concerned.

 

[CL82]

So let me go out on a limb here and say I hope Bouknight gets a stiff but not career ending penalty. He had some poor judgment starting with underage drinking (not all that usual) and ending with fleeing the scene. But drinking impairs judgement, especially in a young kid who may not have been used to it.

I hope he gets a significant penalty not because I have unresolved issues with athletes (that I sometimes I suspect some posters here do) or because I hate the world (another category here) but because he is a young a kid and did screw up. Having consequences for that will help him to make better decisions in the future. Having none will not. He screwed up, like we all do. He should have consequences, like we all do. But not because I wish him ill but because I wish well.

Until we hear a lot more than we have to date, I will assume that he is a good kid who made a mistake, again, like we all do.

 

[CL82]

And stealing a car and running from the cops... but facts don’t matter.

No facts do matter. That is why he is not charged with a car theft right?

 

[AntG168]

So let me go out on a limb here and say I hope Bouknight gets a stiff but not career ending penalty. He had some poor judgment starting with underage drinking (not all that usual) and ending with fleeing the scene. But drinking impairs judgement, right, especially in a young kid who may not have been used to it.

I hope he gets a significant penalty not because I have unresolved issues with athletes (that I sometimes I suspect in some posters here) or because I hate the world (another category here) but because he is a young a kid and did screw up. Having consequences for that will help him to make decisions in the future. Having none will not. He screwed up like we all do. He should have consequences, like we all do. But not because I wish him ill but because I wish well.

Until we hear a lot more that we have to date, I will assume that he is a good kid who made a mistake, like we all do.

Maybe I’m alone here. But I’m just not willing to throw this season away to prove a point. I admire those who feel differently

 

[polycom]

I wish people in this thread kept this kind of energy about people who are non athletes getting in trouble with the law. If people really felt like this about police we should easily have police reform in America.

 

[polycom]

No facts do matter. That is why he not be charged with a car theft right?

yes this exactly. @huskymedic i don’t know why you bother posting articles no one reads anything.