LB Finley arrested for third-degree felony

By Adam Silverstein
September 13, 2011

Updated Sept. 13 at 10:15 a.m.

Florida Gators redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Finley was arrested Monday on campus at the University of Florida and is being held overnight in Alachua County jail after being charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for driving a scooter with a suspended license as well as a third-degree felony for resisting arrest with violence.

During his appearance in front of a judge Tuesday, Finley’s third-degree felony charge was reduced to a first-degree misdemeanor for resisting arrest without violence.

The arrest report, first obtained by the Independent Florida Alligator, noted that Finley was driving his scooter around a barricade on Stadium Road when an officer pulled him over and asked for his license and registration. Finley, whose license is suspended in both Florida and Alabama due to his failing to pay numerous tickets and court fees associated with his suspended license, allegedly refused to comply, saying that he was late.

He then tried to leave the scene on his scooter, but the officer grabbed his wrist in order to put him under arrest. Finley responded by standing up and, as the officer wrote in the report, “squared to me while straddling the scooter” before the officer took out his Taser and threatened to use it if Finley refused to be taken into custody.

A Florida spokesperson released the following statement on the matter late Monday night: “Coach [Will] Muschamp is aware of the incident and will handle the matter.”

As a back-up at his position who had recently been impressing during practice and was set to get solid playing time in 2011, Finley will likely have his progress with the Gators significantly delayed. Chances are he will receive an indefinite suspension from Muschamp with a return time not specified.

17 Comments

  1. CeeThree says:

    lame.. I hope he doesn’t get kicked off the team.

  2. Today, the cops were stopping a lot of people on campus for driving around the barricade.

  3. sjkoepp says:

    Stupid. I feel like players think they’ll have leniency from the UPD and it’s the complete opposite.

  4. obgator says:

    I remember when my motorcycle got stolen in gainesville along with several other motorcycles and scooters on one weekend. No one did a damn thing but write up a police report that got filed in some basement so it can collect cobwebs. Where were the police? Obviously busy pulling over kids on campus riding their scooter to class. Thanks UFPD.

  5. Gator Boys says:

    unpaid tickets=suspended liscence=jail if you drive. I know the cop claims Finley “resisted arrest,” but it seems like these laws are unfair to poor people (I feel I have to put a disclaimer that I have no idea if finley is poor or not). Rich people have no problem paying parking tickets aka never get their liscence suspended.

    • Drew says:

      Thank you scooter, not sure how laws are unfair to “poor people”. That has to be the most asinine comment I have ever seen. Monetary status doesn’t play a part in thinking. I’m not rich, and I’m not poor, but I have what’s called “common sense”, and my common sense says that if there is a rule against doing something guess what, i don’t do it.

  6. Drew says:

    Not to mention has also has a failure to appear on the same charge of driving on a suspended license in Alabama. Being rich doesn’t mean you can afford brains, being poor doesn’t mean you don’t have enough money to think. This is simply a case of another self-absorbed athlete thinking he is above the law and the general population, I’m so sick of this “poor” football player excuse, unless by poor people mean irresponsible.

  7. BKP says:

    Not that they should get a pass or anythin but why does it appear as if the UF police have it out for our football players? Do they not know them individually or are they a bunch of redneck transfer cops from Tallahassee? Still disappointed in Finley but damnit cops lay off our players and go watch Varsity Blues!!!

  8. Todd says:

    I agree it was irresponsible. Probably a good learning experience.

    But, let’s keep it in perspective and not make him the scapegoat for infractions others have had, some of which were much more serious.

  9. Ken (CA) says:

    Why does it seem like half the team (at least) all have suspended licenses? Most of these “arrests” are for minor traffic infractions that become major because the athlete has already got a suspended license.

    I don’t get the issue. When I was a student we all just rode bikes (granted dumb GPD once gave me a ticket for not coming toa complete stop at a stopsign on my bike, but I actually papid the ticket as absurd as it was), but UPD would do little to nothing on bikes….or maybe even just walk to class, they aren’t that far away, and the athlete should be in good enough shape to handle that exercise pretty easily.

    So much for the “greatest defensive back combo ever recruited to UF” in Finley and Will Hill. Both have a lot of talent but no discipline.

  10. scooterp says:

    Poor has nothing to do with it! Everyone I knew in college was poor. My parents paid for my tuition, but other than that I was on my own. I didn’t have a car until my Jr year, which didn’t run most of the time. Spent 2 semesters sleeping on couches of friends, at one point, cause I had no place to sleep. I collected aluminum cans for cash, saved a little over the summer working at a car wash and spent alot of time trying to come up with creative ways for meals like ketchup over rice. Sounds gross, but when your hungry…? As bad as it was sometimes, I would never ever trade the experience or the lessons I learned about life during those 4 and half years. So, I really don’t give a damn how poor these athletes claim they are. They’ve been given a gift, but some of them are just to stupid to take advantage of it.

  11. scooterp says:

    ……… Go Gators!

  12. John S says:

    Apparently the charges were reduced to misdemeanor w/o violence:

  13. Gator Boys says:

    I’m mostly talking about society in general. Finley could have probably gotten everywhere he needed to go without driving, but not everyone can. I just think its outrageous that parking tickets can so easily lead to jail. Its a problem only poor people (with cars/scoots) have to worry about.

    Or at the very least, poor people can’t drive because they get their liscence suspended because of parking tickets. Its not fair. Tickets should be based on a percentage of income like in Sweeden.

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