Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates was very emotional as he sat handcuffed in the back seat of a cop car, breaking down in tears while talking to his mom on the phone right after his gun arrest.
18-year-old Bates, one of the top prospects in the class of 2021 — was pulled over in Superior Township, Michigan after allegedly running through a stop sign around 10:45 PM on September 18.
After pulling him over, Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies who immediately acknowledged Bates told him there was a strong smell of weed coming from his vehicle and asked if there were guns or drugs in the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Emoni who was driving without a license — initially claimed he didn’t, but eventually came clean, admitting he had marijuana and a gun, putting his hands up, and complying with the officers.
While his vehicle was being searched, cops allowed him to use his phone and he called his mother to apologize for the arrest breaking down in tears in the process.
During the search, cops found what appeared to be a bag of marijuana as well as a gun.
Emoni was charged with two felonies carrying a concealed weapon and modifying ID marks on a firearm — but on Thursday, Bates’ attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPNhe believes the charges would be dismissed after agreeing to a plea deal.
Haney says he will plead to a misdemeanor count of attempted illegal transportation of a weapon which will be dismissed off his record if he completes a diversion program.
The school has also gotten the news from Bates’s lawyer and they said:
“The Eastern Michigan University department of athletics has received notification that there is an agreement between the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office and Emoni Bates’ defense team that would result in the felony charges being dismissed.”
