On Tuesday night WXYZ Detroit dropped a story on the Detroit Police Department opening up an internal investigation into a traffic stop where Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams had a registered weapon of his in the car, but he did not have a concealed weapons license for that firearm.
The officer put Williams in cuffs and put him in the squad car, but after speaking to his superiors, Williams was uncuffed and allowed to go free. Higher-ups within the Detroit Police Department are now investigating those officers to see if there was any leniency given to Williams because of who he is.
Now the big question from Lions fans is Williams in the clear? Can he be arrested retroactively for this? I spoke with West Michigan-area attorney Abraham Gonzalez who informed me that Williams can still be arrested for this. Here’s what he had to say:
“He absolutely could be arrested based on that conduct. They’re going to do the internal investigation, and that’s going to determine whether the officer, under their protocol at that department, should have made the arrest, would he normally have made the arrest, and was there evidence that he had on the arrest on that individual?
“If the person without a CPL claimed possession of that weapon, that would be potentially a charge of carrying a concealed weapon, which is a five-year felony. I would imagine that police department has some type of policy when they do these types of stops and there’s probable cause to believe that type of crime was committed, especially because of the serious nature of that type of crime, it involved weapons, most jurisdictions would have some type of policy, informal or formal that they would have to make the arrest. So if they look back and say there was some type of policy that was violated not making the arrest, they definitely could go back and charge him (Williams) with the carrying of a concealed weapon. They don’t have to if, in their evaluation, it was within the discretion of the officer.
“They don’t have to if, in their evaluation, it was within the discretion of the officer or there wasn’t enough evidence to have made that arrest. It’s going to really depend on what statement was made. If that individual without CPL claimed the weapon, that’s enough evidence to make the arrest. If the other individual with the CPL claimed both weapons and the guy without the CPL said neither weapons are mine, then I think that’s a closer call, and I think that’s probably not enough evidence to make the arrest. So I think they’re gonna listen to the body cam with a dash cam and see exactly what was said to the police officers on the side of the road. But if you claim one of those weapons, I mean, that would potentially be a carrying a concealed weapon.
“The only saving grace for him is if this was, like in a lock box in the trunk, but if it was in the vehicle, like the actual passenger compartment, and he claimed possession of it, and he does not have a CPL, that would generally result in arrest on the side of the road.”
So there’s that. Now the only thing anyone can do is wait to see what the internal affairs investigation comes back and says and the department would then have to make the call to see if they want to pursue charges on Williams or not. Gonzalez notes that generally, internal affairs investigations can take some time since all the evidence has to be gone through. It could be several weeks before we know what happens with Williams.
If Williams is arrested, he would then be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which could mean another suspension.