The Carolina Way Revisited

new-carolina-mascot-03-smallWe wanted to make sure that you good folks knew about the newest developments on PJ Hairston’s excellent adventure to Durham and had a place to voice your thoughts on the matter.  You can refresh a little by reading this quick piece…

UNC’s top scorer P.J. Hairston charged with possession of marijuana (USAToday.com)

According to police, Hairston was stopped at an intersection for a license check at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. He and two other passengers face misdemeanor drug charges. Hairston also was charged with driving without a license.

“Coach Williams and (director of athletics) Bubba Cunningham are aware of a situation that took place last evening with P.J. Hairston,” UNC senior associate athletic director for communications Steve Kirschner said in a statement. “We’re currently looking into it to gather the facts. We will issue a statement when we have enough information to do so.”

Now, the bold that highlights that last sentence of that first quoted paragraph was added by me for two reasons.  But we’ll get to that in a minute.

Also found at the scene (besides a buttload of weed…but again, we’re getting to that) was a 9mm handgun with ammunition.  I’m presuming that means it was loaded, but who knows?  Maybe whoever put it there also left a box of ammo for whomever might happen by.  I mean it is Durham, after all (and before anyone blasts me, my whole family hails from Durham, so I’m allowed to say that).

Thus far neither PJ nor any of his cohorts have been charged with that particular little beauty.  The gun was found outside of the car incidentally, so the presumption is that someone from the car tossed it.  But who that was exactly has yet to be determined by Durham’s finest.

Now, back to that bold sentence above…well almost.  First, a couple of tweets.

This first was tweeted by Derek Rowles of ABC11 just after the police report of this incident was filed earlier…

Derek Rowles@DerekRowlesMore #Hairston — just filed PD report — Sezied: plastic baggies, 9mm handgun, ammunition, car rental agreement for 2013 Yukon. #ABC11

This next was tweeted by Will Brinson of CBSSports.com a short time later…

Felony marijuana poss in NC is 42.52g. Maybe interesting/lucky police report has 41.1g and 2.1g separate for PJH et al

Now I’m not saying anything fishy is going on here with the way the weight was charged.  In fact it’s very possible that Mr. Hairston was carrying 41.1g on his person while his friend was carrying 2.1g.  So no problem there.  But wait….

Now we turn back to that bold sentence, along with the totality of these tweets.

First of all, the part about misdemeanor drug possession.  We’ve already covered the total weight issue of course.  But what about the part of that first tweet that says “baggies” were among the items seized?  That leads one to believe that perhaps Mr. Hairston was slinging, no?  Is this possibility even being investigated?  I’d presume not since he’s already been charged with the misdemeanor.

Next, we come to the part about the driver’s license.  Mr. Hairston apparently doesn’t have one that’s currently valid.  So then, how did he rent that vehicle?

Oh I forgot, he’s only 20, so he can’t rent a vehicle anyway.  Which begs the question….

Whose name is on that rental agreement?

There are already rumors flying about this incidentally.  I won’t further them here, but I will say this…

Stay Tuned.

About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

UNC Scandal

38 Responses to The Carolina Way Revisited

  1. MrPlywood 06/08/2013 at 12:09 AM #

    Will the NBA D-League soon have yet another unsigned free-agent trying to catch on with a team?

    And because I couldn’t resist a quick visit to IC, here are a few choice quotes: “Truth known probaby at least half of us have done something simalar [sic] this at some point in our lives. Should all of us hang?” and “Even if the gun was still his, everyone deserves a second chance, and besides, our perimeter depth is terrible, so if push came to shove, just keep him on the team.”

    I kid you not.

  2. Wufpacker 06/08/2013 at 12:16 AM #

    I avoid that place at all costs, but I did have to pop over earlier just to see the whining and rationalizing.

    The insanity was just as I remembered it, of course.

  3. Mike 06/08/2013 at 1:00 AM #

    I wonder if PJ regrets staying another year. IF Roy has any, he will suspend for the year.

    Who rented the LUXURY (saw that on another site) SUV since PJ is under 25, and no name was on the rental agreement. Another illegal transaction/benefit? The gun and drugs are bad news, but the rental stands out as one more point that things are crooked over there.

  4. Wufpacker 06/08/2013 at 1:06 AM #

    No name on the agreement? Hadn’t heard that yet.

    Interesting.

  5. Texpack 06/08/2013 at 5:34 AM #

    Just being picked on by some Duke fan from DPD move along.

  6. wolfonthehill 06/08/2013 at 6:48 AM #

    In a completely unrelated story, of course, Mississippi State got 2 years’ probation & scholarship reductions for a single instance of a single booster providing impermissible benefits. No postseason bans.

    http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/6/7/4402836/mississippi-state-football-scholarships-ncaa-investigation

    Just for calibration & such…

  7. Kevin Armstrong 06/08/2013 at 7:26 AM #

    I’m getting married today. This is something blue!

  8. Adventuroo 06/08/2013 at 8:39 AM #

    OK….Guys….lets stick with the facts here. The OTHER boards have already held (purportedly) celebratoy BBQ’s of roast Ram on the brickyard and we need to remember that some of our finest (5 if I remember correctly) FB players had a little incident a few years ago involving weed….So lets deal with the facts, as they have been reported….and not some fiction
    First FACT….WEED…..N&O says 43.2g which equals 1.5(248) Oz. Now we all studied significant digits, so the DPD’s decision to say that they had JOINT ownership and that was 1.5 Oz and they were charged with “< 0.50" Oz was a decision that was made by the authorities….and it will probably stand.
    Second….the PD is (are?) STILL doing forensics on the weapon. The interesting thngs that we do NOT know are….1) WHO owned or WHO was the heat registered to? It was NOT reported as STOLEN, so one has to assume that THEY know who was LAST responsible (as in obtained the license – here or in another state). That individual will have some 'splainin to do. 2) In SOME LEO districts, the possession of a firearm in a vehicle is OK if it is secured and the occupants (all….not just the driver) can NOT easily access it. That is interpreted that one has to STOP and unlock some compartment. Now the boys done ditched the piece on the fly. That WOULD, in some locales, be considered as a CONCEALED WEAPON charge.
    Third The articles do NOT say that there is NO name on the rental car agreement…..the DPD spokesperson said NO information. One has to assume that since PJ did not have a license that SOMEONE did and that person must be over 25 and that a credit card (or else a SUBSTANTIAL $$ deposit) was used. I think that THIS will be the most interesting. What Dude or Dudette (maybe J. Wiley) provide the "wheels" for the boys to presumbably go out and party…. IF said person does NOT have a good reason for that, the NCAA MIGHT (but I doubt it….) be interested.
    JUST when you thought it was going to be a ho-hum summer, PJ done stepped up and is going to do his own "Tweet'n Marvin" impersonation…..

  9. JohnGalt78 06/08/2013 at 8:55 AM #

    Was the gun smoking?

  10. tractor57 06/08/2013 at 8:55 AM #

    Personally the weed issue matters little to me. I do not partake (and never have) but I think that is truly a minor issue. The weapon? That does raise some questions but with little other than speculation I’ll wait. The auto? Again not enough known yet. It could be a sign of improper benefits or could be something else. Eventually the truth will out. Will the NCAA act if there is something to act upon? With their history regarding UNX I doubt it.

  11. MP 06/08/2013 at 9:30 AM #

    I thought it would be “but I will say this…”

    IT’S FRIDAY BITCHES

  12. Wufpacker 06/08/2013 at 9:50 AM #

    @tractor57…I generally agree with you regarding the issue of the weed. To each his own when it come to weed as far as I’m concerned really.

    However, if the average person is stopped while hauling around that much weed on their person, and is at the same time equipped with other baggies, do we really think that the average joe schmoe is gonna get the lesser misdemeanor charge? Regardless of the weight MAYBE being just under the limit?

    The weapon is a concern, but that’s yet to be fully explored apparently. I and many others have a problem with folks possessing weapons irresponsibly because it gives a bad name to those that are responsible with theirs.

    But like many, I’m most interested in this vehicle rental agreement.

  13. Wufpacker 06/08/2013 at 9:51 AM #

    @MP….nicely played, sir. I feel remiss that I didn’t think of that 😀

  14. Flannel Avenger 06/08/2013 at 10:14 AM #

    Just a little quibble with Adventuroo’s point 1 – guns are not registered in North Carolina. You have to have a pistol permit to buy a pistol, but there is no registry of who bought what.

    It is entirely possible that they had the gun and violated no laws whatsoever. (although it would seem that if they tossed it out of the car that they probably did violate the Concealed Carry law, which is vaguely written and nearly impossible to comply with in an SUV unless you keep the gun in a locked box)

  15. fullmoon1 06/08/2013 at 10:28 AM #

    I believe they had 40 some grams. That’s a lot of personal to be carrying around. I don’t believe the incident involving state football players involved guns. The facts alone are disturbing. I am confident this incident will blow over, be dismissed as kids being kids and we will hear no more of this.

  16. tmb81 06/08/2013 at 11:31 AM #

    Maybe it is time for Carolina to take a page from the book of Tiger. Grow the post scandal goatee. “Winning takes care of everything”.

    After all they both work for the same company.

  17. brqan925 06/08/2013 at 11:35 AM #

    The local Enterprise rental place has a sign that says you can rent a car under age 25 if you pay a premium. I don’t remember the exact amount but it was something like $10 a day.

  18. PackerInRussia 06/08/2013 at 11:37 AM #

    I see you what you did there, JohnGalt. Nice

  19. 13OT 06/08/2013 at 11:44 AM #

    If he’s smart enough to be attending The Flagship, he should be smart enough to know that it’s illegal to possess marijuana and to drive on the public highways without a valid driver’s license.

    Wait- maybe his initials stand for Pedro Jose, which might forgive the driver’s license thingie.

    The only concern I have as a North Carolina taxpayer is that this guy is on scholarship at a state university. Will he remain in school on the taxpayers’ dollar?

    I bet he will.

  20. FergusWolf 06/08/2013 at 12:31 PM #

    ^ not to quibble, but aren’t athletic scholarships at the flagship paid for by boosters (not tax payers) or athletic dept revenue.

    So, there for the people paying for his scholarship likely don’t care if he’s doing weed or not.

    If I remember correctly, at least 1 former pack player had a reputation for partaking…

    Call me Betsy if this one doesn’t just disappear, as it probably should.

  21. Semper_WolfPack 06/08/2013 at 12:45 PM #

    As others have stated, I have no problem with someone deciding to toke up a bit. However, 43.2g is not just a little bit for consumption and having baggies to dish it out is not consumption either. I know it’s only speculation, but I have a REALLY big problem with just the right amount broken out into a separate bag to avoid a felony charge. Plus, all 3 individuals were charged with less than a 1/2oz. A 1/2oz is 14.2g (actually 14.175g, but I rounded up), so if they all 3 had LESS than 1/2oz (14.1g), that would total 42.3g…which doesn’t add up to the total amount seized.

    I won’t even speculate on the gun, since all we currently know is that one was confiscated from outside the vehicle.

    The SUV rental may be the piece that causes the most trouble for UNX. Student-athletes and their allies are always complaining about lack of funds. So if a rental is able to acquired, under the regular age-limit of 25 for a premium, how is that being paid for?

    I guess we’re all in the wait-and-see boat right now. I’m looking forward to the sequel….could be a summer blockbuster.

  22. h2othf 06/08/2013 at 12:50 PM #

    “Just a little quibble with Adventuroo’s point 1 – guns are not registered in North Carolina. You have to have a pistol permit to buy a pistol, but there is no registry of who bought what.”

    Right…guns aren’t required to be “registered” in NC and I believe the only info obtained by the popo when running a serial # is whether the gun has been reported stolen and of course if it has then at that point there will be a name associated with it.

    And I know local LEO may have their own restrictions for transporting weapons (which may the case in Durham), but NC State law states that vehicle carry of loaded handguns by non-permittees is limited to those weapons that are in plain view thus visible from outside the vehicle.

    If a non-permittee elects to conceal the handgun in their vehicle they should know that depending on the jurisdiction there may be a blurry line between “locked away and readily accessible” and “locked away and not readily accessible” (i.e. locked glove compartment).

  23. Adventuroo 06/08/2013 at 1:18 PM #

    Pardon my miscommunication. I am KEENLY aware (and will fight to the death for it) that there is no “registration” in NC. What I MEANT to convey is that the SN of the 9MM is totally traceable. Even when JFK was killed, back in the dark ages, they traced the rifle quickly…..in a few hours to Oswald.

    So, unless the gun lost it’s “identity”, there is a record of who purchased it originally. Now IF it was stolen, which I think that one of the articles said it was NOT, then the LEO will start with the purchaser on record….and that can be in any state..as the FFL records are there. THEN, they will have to go forward and see how it was passed (given or sold) to others. Personally, I have only given away ONE gun over the years, to my BIL.

    The REAL rub here is that it was in a VEHICLE….I have attended many NRA and other group sponsored information lecture. The lecturers are all Federally licensed instructors. One, several years ago, said that actually the SHERIFF made the “concealed” determination since he is the ultimate LEO. NOW, the DA does have to concur. He said that ONE sheriff (this was when NC was debating CCW’s) said that even if the firearm was attached to a 10 foot pole extending out of the top of the vehicle, it as CONCEALED. So, the fact that the lads tossed it indicates that it was NOT locked or stowed or stored in an appropriate manner.

    NOW, as to the rental…..Assming that one DID pay the premium, you MUST have a valid DL to rent. I have stood in line and listened to tired travelers with all the credit cards in the world be turned down when the person in front had an EXPIRED one or had been at the lake on Sunday and had forgotten to put his license BACK in his billfold.

    The NAME and the relationship (etc…) will be the really interesting side show…..but, regardless of that, PJ done got his posterior is a heap of a mess and ORW is going to have to do some “Thinning…..(maybe figuratively and/or literally) about it….

  24. tractor57 06/08/2013 at 1:29 PM #

    Wulfpacker.

    Agreed the amount seems rather large for personal use but I’m not jumping just yet. “Baggies” might mean two portions or might mean a store of baggies to dole out the stash.

    I do find the whole scene a bit odd and potentially very damning but I’ll wait and see.

  25. EdMar 06/08/2013 at 1:36 PM #

    I ‘m sure one of the other guys will admit to the drugs, the gun, renting the car and because he had a headache asking Saint PJ to bail him out and driving until he felt better. (I’m sure his checking account will have a nice deposit soon)
    So you see, the UNC-Cheat player did nothing wrong, so let’s move on.
    Same sh_t different day.

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