Florida Gators redshirt freshman defensive tackle Leon Orr received a written arrest on Jan. 10 and was given a notice to appear in court for misdemeanor possession of both marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to The Independent Florida Alligator.

Orr, who the police report notes granted an officer permission to search his dorm room, admitted to possessing under 20 grams of marijuana as well as a “glass pipe and rolling papers” after all of it was found by a member of the University Police Department.

The Alligator reports that it is not stated on the police report why officer Bradley Roberts was sent to Orr’s room to in the first place.

Orr is scheduled to face these chargers in court on Feb. 8 and is now the fifth player to be charged with possession of marijuana since head coach Will Muschamp began his stewardship of the football program one year ago.

Though Florida did not release a statement on the matter, Orr tweeted about the incident. “At the end of the day a mistake was made, and I’ve learned from it,” he wrote.

Orr played in all 13 games in 2011, registering 10 tackles, a sack and a pass defense.

Tags: arrest, Leon Orr, Will Muschamp

For as much as the Florida Gators accomplished on the field in 2011 (check out Saturday’s post), the Gator Nation was making plenty of news off of it as well. From former players ending their accomplished careers to coaches and current players being part of some of the biggest news stories this year, Florida was spread all over the sports landscape in 2011. Below are OGGOA‘s Top 11 Off the Field Stories of the Year.

11 » LEGAL ISSUES/EMBARRASSMENTS HANG OVER PROGRAM
Like 2009 and 2010, Florida could not escape its share of unfortunate arrests and embarrassing incidents in 2011. It started simply enough early in February when a pair of Gators swimmers – Lily Ramirez and Daniela Victoria – were arrested and indefinitely suspended from the team after being accused of shoplifting from Nordstrom at the Orlando Mall. Next up was Florida senior outfielder Bryson Smith, who was picked up on March 13 for driving under the influence. Oakland Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy was arrested in Gainesville, FL three weeks later and charged with a trio of misdemeanors for failing to obey a police officer, possession of a drug (Viagra) without a valid prescription and resisting arrest without violence. The month of April was a tough one for the basketball team. Forwards Erik Murphy and Cody Larson were arrested in St. Augustine, FL and charged with third-degree felony burglary charges after allegedly breaking into a car, and team manager Josh Adel was also arrested for principal to burglary for allegedly serving as a lookout. Charges against the players were eventually reduced and each settled their respective case, while Adel had all charges against him dropped. Additionally, former Florida F Dan Wener was charged with a DUI even though he blew below the legal limit (0.08) on the Breathalyzer twice. The State Attorney’s Office eventually dropped his charges due to insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction.

Unfortunately the year of brushes with the law was just getting started for the Gators. It surfaced on April 24 via a news report that both linebacker Chris Martin and defensive end Kendric Johnson were cited with misdemeanors for possessing approximately two grams of marijuana each in their respective vehicles on separate occasions. Former Florida WR Reche Caldwell was arrested one month later for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license. Gators runner Andries Dumisane Hlaselo had the darkest arrest of the year, being picked up in June after being accused of rape and sexual assault. He was immediately dismissed from the team. The Florida football team had the remainder of the year’s arrests. Sophomore safety Matt Elam was cited for underage drinking for the second time in as many years in July, and an August report noted that freshman defensive back De’Ante Saunders was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana in May. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Finely was arrested on Sept. 13 on a first-degree misdemeanor for driving a scooter with a suspended license as well as a third-degree felony for resisting arrest without violence, and freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson was served with a written arrest for underage drinking just one day later. Sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley had the last brush with the law of 2011 as he was accused of attacking a former Alabama player early in October but was cleared of the charges one month later. All-in-all, for every positive thing accomplished by the Gators in 2011, there always seemed to be something negative about the program just around the corner.

10 » SIX BECOME A PART OF THE GATOR NATION IN THE SKY; THREE SUFFER SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES DURING THE YEAR
It would be difficult to recount everything that Gator Nation has gone through in 2011 without remembering those close to the University of Florida who left us for a better place or suffered through serious medical issues in the past year. Young and old, these Gators departed too soon or had plenty to deal with as the year went on. Jimmy Carnes (76), a former Gators track and field coach, passed away in March after losing a four-year battle with prostate cancer. Former linebacker/safety and three-time Super Bowl winner Godfrey Myles (42) suffered a massive heart attack in June and, while in the hospital on life support, had a stroke that took his life. Former punter and 12-year NFL veteran Don Chandler (76) also lost a long battle with cancer in August. Mike Heimerdinger (58), who was diagnosed with cancer early in the year, passed away in October. He was a former graduate assistant and wide receivers coach at Florida and won consecutive SEC titles with the team from 1984-85. Ending the year on a sad note, beloved Gainesville, FL businessman and former Gators long snapper Harold Monk III (42) died suddenly in December. OGGOA once again sends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these men.

Florida freshman linebacker Neiron Ball was the first of three members of the Gators family to suffer serious health issues during the year. He was rushed to the hospital in February after a blood vessel in his brain ruptured as part of a congenital vascular condition. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding and Ball was released from the hospital four days later, but he was forced to miss the entire season for recovery purposes. In the middle of the year, Miami Heat guard/forward Mike Miller was lucky enough to have his wife give birth to a daughter named Jaylen. Unfortunately for the family, she was forced to spend two weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit after doctors found that she had five holes in her heart upon being born. The Millers eventually brought Jaylen home with them in a bit of a coincidence considering they actually donated $1 million to a pediatric intensive care unit at children’s hospital in his home town in 2007. Later that month, former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which he is currently still recovering from and will continue to do so over the next few months.

Continue Reading » Top 11 for 2011: Off the Field Stories of the Year

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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.

Tags: arrest, Dee Finley, University of Florida, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators freshman cornerback De’Ante “Pop” Saunders, an early enrollee who joined the team in January, was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana back in May, according to a report from the Palm Beach Post.

Saunders, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, reportedly agreed to deferred prosecution, which likely included a small fine and community service. The charge will be cleared from his record once terms of his agreement are reached.

The Post spoke to Saunders’s attorney Huntley Johnson, who believes there will be no further problems with the player going forward. “He’s quit smoking marijuana,” Johnson said. “I’m satisfied that’s not going to be an issue again.”

The fourth player since January to be cited for possession of marijuana, Saunders has likely already served out an internal punishment from head coach Will Muschamp.

Florida redshirt sophomore defensive end Kendric Johnson served his punishment and remains on the team headed into the 2011 season. However, senior CB Janoris Jenkins was dismissed after his third pot arrest, and redshirt freshman linebacker Chris Martin ended up transferring but did not say it was specifically for that reason.

Tags: arrest, Chris Martin, De'Ante Saunders, Janoris Jenkins, Kendric Johnson, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators safety Matt Elam was cited for underage drinking and given a notice to appear in court by Gainesville, FL police on Sunday, according to The Gainesville Sun.

Elam, who was also cited for possession of alcohol by a minor one year ago, was spotted by officers “with a plastic cup that contained a dark liquid,” the paper reports.

He then apparently tossed the cup, which allegedly contained Hennessy and Coca-Cola, before being written up on site for the violation.

On July 21, 2010, Elam pleaded no contest to his previous charge and was ordered to pay a small fine by an Alachua County court.

Set to start for the Gators at strong safety in 2011, Elam played in every game last season, registering 23 total tackles (three for a loss) and a blocked kick.

Tags: arrest, Matt Elam

Updated on June 29 at 5 p.m.

Florida Gators junior runner Andries Dumisane Hlaselo was arrested on Tuesday for sexual battery after being accused of raping a woman on June 12 and is currently being held at the Alachua County Jail on $100,000 bond.

According to a The Gainesville Sun report, Hlaselo allegedly sexually assaulted a female friend of his roommate who was asleep at his home. She awoke and told him to stop before shoving him away and calling the police.

The arrest report states that Hlaselo told police he entered his roommate’s bedroom naked with the intention of having sex with the victim. The report states he told police he had sex with the victim while she was semi-conscious and without her consent. He left when she woke up and began “freaking out.”

The University Athletic Association announced Wednesday that Hlaselo has been kicked off of the team: “We are aware of the arrest of Dumisane Hlaselo. We find these charges deeply disturbing. He is no longer a member of the University of Florida track & field team.”

Tags: arrest, Dumisane Hlaselo, field, track, UAA

Three members of the Florida Gators basketball team were arrested on April 10 for burglary in St. Augustine, FL. Forwards sophomore Erik Murphy and freshman Cody Larson were caught allegedly breaking into a car, and team manager Joshua Adel was arrested for principal to burglary because he allegedly served as a lookout. No items were reported missing from the vehicle in the attempted theft.

One month later, all three men have had their respective charges lessened by the state with two of them still facing legal action, according to The Gainesville Sun‘s Kevin Brockway who spoke with a representative at the State Attorney’s Office.

Larson and Murphy now have second-degree misdemeanor charges for criminal trespassing (instead of third-degree felonies for burglary), while Adel’s charge was not just reduced, it was thrown out altogether.

“[Larson and Murphy] have paid restitution to the victims to get a headlight fixed,” spokesperson Shannon Peters told the Sun. “The charges reflect that they tried to go into another person’s car without permission. [Adel] was charged as being the lookout when the evidence showed that wasn’t the case. He was, in fact, discouraging them.”

Brockway also reports that a court date has not yet been set for Murphy and Larson to enter their respective pleas.

Tags: arrest, Cody Larson, Erik Murphy, Josh Adel

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Reche Caldwell was arrested early Thursday morning near Tampa, FL and charged with two misdemeanors including possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams) and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

A seven-year NFL veteran, Caldwell played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers (2002-05) before spending one season each with the New England Patriots (2006) and Washington Redskins (2007).

He was released after five hours on a $750 bond, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: arrest, New England Patriots, NFL, Reche Caldwell, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins