Tuesday, 08/01/06
UT freshman facing felony charge
Ex-Smyrna star waved gun, deputy alleges
By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said Monday he won't rush to judgment on any potential disciplinary measures for redshirt freshman defensive back Marsalous Johnson.
The former Smyrna High star was arrested Sunday night and charged with felony aggravated assault after an off-duty Putnam County Sheriff's Department deputy said Johnson waved a pellet gun at him on Interstate 40 near Monterey.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Rico McCoy was also in the car with Johnson, according to police records, but was not charged.
"I want to find out more about what happened, see what's true and what's not and go from there," said Fulmer, whose Vols open preseason practice Friday. "We've had very few distractions this offseason, and we're not going to let this be one."
The sheriff's deputy who accused Johnson of waving the pellet gun, Mike Hoover, is also a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer and was on his way home from a shift as a boating officer at Center Hill Lake when the incident occurred, said Dan Hicks, the TWRA Region 3 public information officer.
Hicks said Hoover had his nephew in the car with him when Johnson pointed what appeared to be a gun at them.
"You've got inches of space between the vehicles, and then in addition to that, somebody's pointing what our officer deemed to be a gun," Hicks said. "Anyone under those circumstances would have felt threatened."
Hicks said Hoover, who was in a private vehicle but wearing his TWRA uniform, tried unsuccessfully to get Johnson to pull over and then communicated with another on-duty sheriff's department deputy, who was able to intercept Johnson. Hoover was at the scene at the time of the arrest.
Hicks said Johnson initially denied to police that he had a gun, but that a search of his car produced a plastic Uzi pellet gun under the passenger seat.
Johnson later admitted that the pellet gun was his, although he said he forgot it was in the car, according to police.
Johnson told coaches and teammates that Hoover was refusing to let him pass. Johnson told police that Hoover was slamming on brakes and trying to get him to rear-end him.
According to police records, Johnson also admitted that he pulled alongside Hoover's truck, rolled down the window and yelled.
Both Johnson and McCoy were handcuffed and placed in the back of the police car. McCoy denied any involvement and was released.
Johnson spent the night in jail before posting $10,000 bond and being released Monday. Johnson appeared in court on Monday, and the case was continued to Sept. 6.
His mother, Patricia Fayne, declined to comment other than to say, "I know my son is not like that, and anybody around here knows he's not like that."
Fayne said the family has retained an attorney.
Fulmer had placed his players on a zero-tolerance policy following the May arrest of senior linebacker Marvin Mitchell on disorderly conduct charges. Mitchell remains suspended, although Fulmer said at the SEC Media Days that he expects Mitchell to be back for the Sept. 2 opener against California.
Fulmer also dismissed redshirt freshman defensive lineman Raymond Henderson from the team for what Fulmer called an inappropriate comment Henderson made to an adolescent girl. n
in a restaurant. Henderson has since transferred to Minnesota. •