Mabry found not guilty

General46

May this week never end!!! The good news keeps on coming in.

Link

Rocky Mount High School basketball standout Tashawn Mabry shook hands with defense attorney Joe Hester in a Rocky Mount courtroom Wednesday afternoon after he was found not guilty of assault by pointing a gun.

Many people are speculating that with his legal issues out of the way, a potential official offer of a scholarship from the Wolfpack may not be far behind. Mabry is expected to accept if offered by NC State.

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General

46 Responses to Mabry found not guilty

  1. GAWolf 05/07/2010 at 9:34 AM #

    If I know some people who get busted for growing weed in their homes, that doesn’t mean I do it.

    There’s a frighteningly ever present need for our culture to solve crimes through conjecture and rumor. It’s a scary proposition. The court heard the case and knows everything both sides thought relevant to the issue and the kid was found “not guilty.” I really don’t understand why it goes beyond that. If there’s a character issue as a whole, it’s the staff’s job to interview people in and around Rocky Mount and come to their own conclusion from which they can make a decision about whether or not to offer the guy. That’s relevant to our interests. This case, however, no longer matters.

  2. GAWolf 05/07/2010 at 9:36 AM #

    For the record, I said the same thing when Lawson got his Driving After Consuming. If the court sees fit to assist him with the judgment based on all relevant facts surrounding the case, then it’s not my place to question that with more limited information. I thought it was a reasonable result given the allegations… regardless of the fact the kid was a superstar basketball player at UNC.

  3. Thinkpack17 05/07/2010 at 9:40 AM #

    “Who said it was ???????????????”

    Yes, the good news keeps coming in. That doesn’t mean that every piece of good news is as equally beneficial to us as the next.

    CJL signing > The Wear Twins transferring.
    CJL signing > The Mabry Verdict.
    CJL signing > A UNC hero ruining his life. (Good News?)
    Folwer Stepping down > CJL signing

  4. rmpackman 05/07/2010 at 9:58 AM #

    I am from Rocky Mount. Everything that I have ever heard about Mabry is that he is a good kid. The legal issues stemed from an incident involving his cousin (the shooter). It appears that Tashawn was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, this does bring up an issue with his judgment. However, he is 17-18 years old. The idea that he is a gang leader is ridiculous (read that on the community forum in the Rocky Mount Telegram). I really beleive that this is a wake up call for him and we will not be seeing any more headlines involving him of this sort. He is a real talent! I agree with CJL assessment- he is way underated. He will be a nice complement to what we already have on board!

  5. rmpackman 05/07/2010 at 9:59 AM #

    and BTW, notice that the alleged victim did not initially tell police that Tashawn pointed a gun at her. She added this later. Sounds like a case of her trying to get at Tashawn (her ex-boyfriend).

  6. choppack1 05/07/2010 at 10:11 AM #

    Thinkpack – I’ll put your answers w/ my questions- but you say “most of these questions have been answered.”

    1. Did he know the suspect? “He may know him, but didn’t see him at the scene.”

    Uh – “may” is not really a sufficient answer. Nor is his version that “he didn’t seem him at the scene”.

    However, his version of events could be compared to the Police Report, witness statements etc…

    3. Was he hanging around w/ the suspect and/or victim leading up to the shooting? You state, “he was with the victim.”

    I find it rather suspicious then that the girlfriend of the victim would testify against him.

    4. did he cooperate w/ police in the investigation? “Yes”

    So he testified against the suspect in the murder case or is he going to do so? Can you provide a link that demonstrated he cooperated? (Serious question.)

    Hey – if the guy goes to wherever in the world – best of luck to him. However, Thinkpack – your answers create more questions about his character and the events of that night.

  7. Thinkpack17 05/07/2010 at 10:21 AM #

    1. Agreed. That’s why I used the qualifier “most”.

    3. “I find it rather suspicious then that the girlfriend of the victim would testify against him.”

    So do I. When she was first interviewed she didn’t claim Mabry had done anything wrong. Later she comes back and says “Oh yeah I forgot, he put a gun to my head.” I have never had a gun put to my head, but I suspect it is something that I would never forget.

    4. “So he testified against the suspect in the murder case or is he going to do so?”

    Testify to what? He said he didn’t see the shooting. He was on his way to his car when he heard gunshots.

    “Thinkpack – your answers create more questions about his character and the events of that night.”

    And I think that’s why they have a trial. And that’s why you and I aren’t the prosecution and the defense. I’m sure our questions aren’t anything lawyers wouldn’t think to ask. They ask the questions and they get the answers. Either the judge believes one side or the other. Just because you or I don’t personally have the answers doesn’t mean the questions weren’t asked.

  8. PoppaJohn 05/07/2010 at 11:14 AM #

    Hey guys, before we convict let’s do our research. I’ve been reading about this kid on line and practically everything I’ve read says he’s a pretty good kid. And rmpackfan, living in RM, has had the same experience.
    Keep in mind that in a court everything is black or white, you are either saint or Lawrence Taylor. (LOL – sorry, couldn’t help myself) Maybe that’s not the best place to form a first opinion.

    And on top of that, like an earlier poster said, if you can believe what you read, he may be significantly underrated. We may be stealing a star if we sign him.

    Sid will make the right call, they’ve put in the due diligence and have a better sense than we of what kind of guy he is.

  9. choppack1 05/07/2010 at 11:18 AM #

    Thinkpack – quite frankly – I’m not looking at this from a legal point of view…but rather, I’m looking at it as “would it be a good thing for my alma mater to give this kid a scholarship to play basketball.”

    I keep on seeing stuff like this:
    “It appears that Tashawn was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, this does bring up an issue with his judgment.”

    Either you are in the wrong place at the wrong time – or you have a problem w/ your judgement. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time is bad luck. Problem w/ your judgement implies that there’s a lot more to this story than “I was just visiting my cousin, then I was walking to my car and I heard gunshots.”

    Such a statement doesn’t indicate a problem w/ his judgement. If that statement is true – he did absolutely nothing wrong that night. However, if he has a problem w/ his judgement – what was he doing wrong??

    Now, if he was 17 and he was hanging out in a bar or if he was an adult and he was hanging out at a strip club and this happened – yea, it’s a problem w/ your judgement….but if I’m to believe the version of events, he’s visiting his cousin at a residence before the shooting – AND THAT DOESN’T INDICATE A PROBLEM W/ JUDGEMENT in and of itself.

  10. rmpackman 05/07/2010 at 11:52 AM #

    the problem with judgment may be hanging out with a cousin that you know is a little sketchy. That’s what I meant. But poeple make mistakes! People also can learn from their mistakes and become better people. As far as I can tell this is the first time Tashawn has been in any kind of trouble. Let’s cut the kid some slack and give him an opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong. Or, do we just write the kid off as a thug and move on to the next???

  11. Rochester 05/07/2010 at 12:59 PM #

    If the shooter really is his cousin, I’m inclined to give Mabry more rope here. It’s hard sometimes to distance yourself from your family, even when you know they’re dirtbags. It’s not like you get to choose your relatives. If I were held accountable for the dumb things my cousins did, well, that would be a lot of baggage.

  12. GAWolf 05/07/2010 at 1:04 PM #

    Choppack: I normally agree with most things you post on here, but in this case I think you’re painting yourself in a corner. You have zero personal knowledge of the kid or the situation, correct? If so, where is it your place to question what others are saying about his character? You’re basing it statements from a witness in a criminal case who made conflicting statements, has a criminal record herself, and is directly refuted by witnesses at the hearing after which the kid was found not guilty.

    If you know something else and don’t feel comfortable sharing it, that’s understandable. But if your knowledge of the situation is strict as I set out above, I just don’t see how in the world you’re coming to these “conclusions.” You simply don’t have enough information available to you to make those conclusions.

    I say this in jest because I have the utmost respect for your opinions, but it’s true as well… you’re the sort of guy no one in my shoes wants in a jury box.

  13. GAWolf 05/07/2010 at 1:05 PM #

    RMPACKFAN: Thank you for that insight. It seems more applicable and credible than anything else any of the rest of us could offer here.

  14. rmpackman 05/07/2010 at 1:12 PM #

    I find myself really pulling for this kid. Like a lot of small cities Rocky Mount has it’s issues. One of the most significant is an explosion of gang realted violence. Unfortunately a lot of decent kids are getting sucked into the vortex. Tashawn has am opportunity to break out of this by using the gifts that he has been given. I really hope that he makes it and then inspires others to do the same. Again, I want to stress that I have heard NOTHING but “Tashawn’s a good kid” around town. So… let’s get him to Raleigh and get the party started!!!!!!!! Go Pack!!!!!

  15. choppack1 05/07/2010 at 1:31 PM #

    GA Wolf – If I was in the jury box, I would have probably found him innocent based on what I read.

    However, what can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and character are two totally different issues.

    I appreciate RM’s perspective and I’ve seen some similar stuff from others. But hey, this is a State message board so I discount that in the same way I discounted the comments on the article that implied there was something far more sinister going on.

    My point – in a nutshell is this: Given that we already have a Top 5 recruiting class, 3-4 small forwards on our roster and 2-3 PF’s on our roster, I’m not bringing in a kid to play the 3 or 4 spot if he has this kind of baggage.

    If his only involvement in this situation was that he was visiting the victim and left his residence – then really, I have no problem w/ the kid, wish him the best – and I think he’ll end up proving those who have supported right.

    If his involvement was different than that – God have mercy on his soul.

    And I certainly can concede a point that even if it was more complicated than the ideal story (I went to visit someone at his crib and as I was leaving someone got shot) – it wouldn’t make him evil or hopeless.

  16. rtpack24 05/07/2010 at 3:13 PM #

    Read the entire newspaper article. Wrong place wrong time does not apply to this situation. Hope the kid has learned from this experience and has a great career wherever he ends up. I think if you check carefully he has had no offers so far.

  17. tjfoose2 05/07/2010 at 3:31 PM #

    GAWolf – FWIW, I’m with you, legally speaking, and see your points.

    I obviously do not know enough of the specifics, or enough about Mabry, to be in position to be a final and just arbiter. My post was made with only my limited knowledge and from the perspective of what I believe to be best for NC State.

    I cede your points, and agree with them. They are important to remember. However, legally, or otherwise, NC State owes Mabry nothing.

    Like I wrote, “May not be fair, but life and reality rarely are… I hope the kid gets an offer (perhaps to more established program who has the built up cred to better absorb the ’smoke’), if he DESERVES one, but I hope we pass.”

    I’m not making a judgment call on Mabry, whatsoever, as I am in no position to do so. What I am doing is making a judgment call on what I believe is best and prudent for NC State.

    If we don’t sign him, I won’t cheer but will wish him well. I’d even think maybe Sid could help him sign on elsewhere. If we do sign him, I won’t be upset, but I will be wary. Wary, and cautiously optimistic.

    I think we mostly agree. Regardless, thanks for your posts (this one, and others). I usually agree, but whether I do or not, I always appreciate their insight and contribution to the discussion.

  18. burnbarn 05/07/2010 at 4:43 PM #

    RM…. Thanks for bringing some information to this post.

  19. Wulfpack 05/08/2010 at 9:24 AM #

    Woah, mafpack, didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else there, honestly. I wasn’t commenting on Mabry’s situation in particular. I admit to knowing nothing about it except what has been posted here. All I was trying to say is that, in my experience in high school athletics, we generally have more serious issues with athletes than non-athletes. It’s not unlikely for your star player to think he’s God’s gift to the world, and it makes getting through to that kid (and his parents) a challenge. There are entirely too many people blowing smoke up athletes’ asses, to the point where it inflates their opinion of themselves. This is where coaching comes in, and is what I think separates the best coaches from the also rans. A coach has to have a system and be accountable fo developing that kid as a person. That’s what coaching is all about. I think Sid is doing a good job of this and Mabry would probably really benefit from having Sid as a role model.

  20. fmack 05/09/2010 at 8:47 PM #

    Fellow pack fans – this has really been a good discussion.
    I too want to see this kid in a WolfPack uniform – selfishly so.
    I’m concerned about a couple of things though.
    At a time when it seems like our fortunes are changing for the better and the pendulum has begun to swing our way. What effect would signing this kid have on our program?
    How would the new chancellor and the new AD look at this offer?
    Would they be able to effectively market WolfPack sports programs as clean and safe for future recruits?
    How would the media treat us if we offer this kid a scholarship?
    I really and sincerely want this kid to come here and do well, but I also want him to do our program well. Can our program carry this kid now at this time?
    Maybe just maybe we can market our program as a program that is compassionate and redemptive. Just a thought.

  21. happypackdad 05/12/2010 at 3:35 PM #

    Mabry isn’t coming to NCSU, our choice.

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