Prompted by citizen complaints, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV on Monday ordered a review of the disorderly conduct arrest this past weekend of a University of Tennessee football player.
“There’s been some questions raised about the incident,” Owen said Monday.
Police at 12:30 a.m. Saturday arrested Anthony Parker, 21, in the parking lot of Sutters Mill Apartments, which are located off Weisgarber Road. Parker was arrested by off-duty Knoxville Police Department Officer Sam Henard, who is the courtesy officer tasked with maintaining security at the apartment complex.
Parker, a 6-foot-3-inch tall, 305-pound offensive lineman, was yelling in the parking lot when Henard approached, according to court records. When Henard told Parker to stop yelling and leave the area, Parker started to comply, records show.
But Parker then “stopped and started yelling again and walked away from officer Henard yelling again and waving his arms in the air,” records state. Then Parker “attempted to get other males to get out of a vehicle to join him,” records show.
The commotion, records state, caused apartment residents to come out to see what was happening. Henard decided to arrest Parker rather than cite him to court because of the likelihood the alleged offense would continue.
Parker was the fourth UT football player charged by police since Jan. 11. Two freshmen wide receivers on Jan. 11 were cited to court by KPD officers on a charge of possessing marijuana. A freshman tailback was arrested by UT police Jan. 21 on a charge of public intoxication when officers responded to a fight call at a dormitory.
“We are looking at the most recent incident, the same as we would when anybody raises questions,” Owen said.
The chief said he requested a review of Parker’s arrest by a police supervisor. The agency’s internal affairs unit is not involved in the probe, Owen said.
Owen said “less than four or five “ people who claimed to be witnesses to the incident complained about the arrest. The chief said he had “absolutely not” been contacted by UT officials about the arrest.
“The question is whether he (Parker) was in fact acting disorderly or if there was confusion as to who was doing what,” the chief said.
Owen said he had not yet assigned a supervisor to review the facts of the case. KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said there was no timetable set for completing the review.
“We’re responding to citizens’ complaints,” DeBusk said. “It’s not receiving any special treatment, no more and no less than if anyone else was involved.”
Coach Phillip Fulmer was not available Monday for public comment.
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Comments » 68
rabidvol1998 writes:
This whole thing sounds fishy, I'm glad they are reviewing it. I didn't realize the officer was off duty, was he in uniform? Does the complaint say what Parker was yelling about? I wish KNS would aswer obvious questions before we have to ask.
tigervol9802 writes:
Egad!
A KPD officer trying to stroke his own ego? Surely not!
99gator writes:
even if the arrest was warranted....this kind of charge gets dropped all the time. this was not going to get prosecuted. it just looks bad for the kid and the school.
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Thus far, it looks like alcohol or drugs are not involved. Lets get to the truth of the matter.
99gator writes:
how can this be investigated anyway? if you ask a bunch of kids was the cop in the wrong or the person who was arrested.....kids will say the cop 99 times out of 100, regardless of what really happened.
without knowing anything (but, yet, dumb enough to offer an opinion), i will guess that both sides could have handled the situation better and the arrest was probably not warranted.....he just probably did something to make the cop not happy with him.
mountainbrook writes:
Imagine that...special treatment for an athlete.
rabidvol1998 writes:
sjt - I think one could find a drunk outside every dorm on campus every night.
I didn't know I even had license plate lights, but I checked and I do, but they are out. I've noticed a good deal of cars have lights out.
I don't condone any of the behavior and I think Jones and Paige should be suspended for 2 games, but the equal treatment clause of the constitution seems to be being stretched.
maybe this is the price athletes must pay for all the positive benfits of notariety that they get.
bean3669 writes:
what a surprise. poor ol' KPD. what a freakin joke. next time i go to neyland i will make sure i don't wave my arms and scream. basically this cop was made to look like an idiot and he didn't like it. i don't dislike KPD, i just think they need to look into the way disorderly conduct is defined. we just better hope there wasn't something really wrong in the complex.
BigOrangeInCarolina writes:
I wasn't there, but I would think the officer would've taken some time to maybe appeal to AP's friends or somebody from the UT program to help calm AP down, as opposed to just hauling him off to jail. There is a fine line with disorderly conduct charges, and there are better ways to go about handling those type situations, particularly if alcohol or drugs aren't involved, than the short-fused jail route. I'm not saying that just because he's an athlete. I think that course should be followed with anyone. It isn't worth the paperwork.
MrBamSeydu writes:
cops are worthless. you don't arrest someone for something like this. worst case, you put them in handcuffs and calm them down or explain that they COULD be arrested if they don't quit. otherwise either ticket them or let it go as COLLEGE KIDS BEING COLLEGE KIDS!!! just because cops don't go to college and don't understand that doesn't mean they should take it out on people that aren't pathetic.
TommyJack writes:
Cops investigating cops. Hmmm
FWBVol writes:
That 6 a.m. running must have been pretty tough if Parker dropped 40 plus pounds. Maybe the other players will take notice. LOL
zipstick2002#563501 writes:
Oh sure, 12:30AM, yelling in the middle of a parking lot ... lots of us do it all the time. Arrest us? Better not - isn't fair. Police are so unfair, I'll bet that mean old cop had been hiding in the parking lot for hours just hoping to arrest a VOL. Get real, the kid was acting like a jerk. The cop is not a social worker. He is a law enforcement officer. When are we going to hold people responsible for their actions? Next time you have an urgent problem, call a counselor.
TommyJack writes:
zipstick: That's the point. WAS THIS an urgent situation?
TommyJack writes:
Maybe the light on Parker's ipod was burned out.
tigervol9802 writes:
Guys, it's Knoxville cops who have a chance to prove how big and bad they are when they arrest a football player.
I've heard them brag about busting local area high school players before, much less the thrill they get from busting a UT player. I bet that cop has called every person he's met in his life to tell them what he got to do.
I have yet to see a cop in action in this city that knows how to defuse a situation. Probably this cop got on an ego trip because of his badge, probably treated Parker with little or no respect and did his own share of yelling, the whole time milking him into being able to take him in.
The cops in this city are 95% worthless. I hate to put all in that category, because I know there are some good ones who do it for more than the ego trip. But 9 times out fo 10 when I read these, I side with the player because I've watched how the people on the other side are.
TommyJack writes:
Tigervol: Back in the day, the KnoxCops were mostly slugs...Crooked, lyin, cheatin, goobers.
Hopefully that's changed over the years. But when I see a story like this one (or the license plate light), my first inclination is to doubt the cops. Hope things are better now, but I wonder.
creepykev#228270 writes:
I don't know, I'm sure the guy was cranky having to go deal with the guy after he was off duty. He might have been asleep after having to work a long shift. The point is he probably didn't have any patience at that point. Believe it or not most cops are people too and are subject to the same range of emotions that we all are. Give the guy a break.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Well, at least this "incident' grew more legs. And on we go. Doldrums keep trying to settle.
smokey90 writes:
This article is too vague. I would like to hear from the witnesses. I am sure if KNS would visit the apartment complex, they could report a better article.
DennisVols writes:
"review the facts of the case"
What a concept. Reviewing the facts before passing judgement. I agree with sjt18's 4:59 post. If everyone who was in college got arrested for yelling in the parking lot after midnight the jails would be full.
Has KPD solved all the drug and violent crime problems in Knoxville so that we can start arresting folks for what at best seems to be a distrubing the peace offense?
Admittly if you do not put yourself in a position to get into trouble you seldom will but this seems a bit much with all the rest of the criminal acts going on.
VOLS85 writes:
The truth is that we know nothing about this case or the exact specifics. We can speculate on everything that happened all we want. However, there were many that felt that the police officer did not handle the situation correctly. KPD, for the first time in a hot minute, have decided to review the case.
I think it is only fair that they do because the facts that were stated are not consistent with the need for an arrest.
For those of you who live in suburbia and do not know college students or you just never went yourself, we do stay up past midnight (I'm a 22 year old senior and I never go to bed before midnight), and we do do stupid things that don't necessitate arrest. I have yelled in a parking lot countless times late at night and if you've ever been in the fort you'll see that this is something that happens every single night. Why he got singled out is the question.
VOLS85 writes:
The most upsetting part is that a UT student was robbed and shot by an assailant last week in the Fort, and KPD has no clues or answers for that.
jevolball7 writes:
Citizens arrest,citizens arrest! Barney Fife is on the loose...again! KPD: GO AND FIND SOME BANK ROBBERS,RAPERS,MURDERS! My god,why do people have to wonder why our jails are over-crowded? It's ALL about collecting the money!! This case will be tossed out so fast that KPD won't even be able to gather up at your local Pilot and ponder it,over their free Krispy Kreams and coffee. KPD is out of control! I for 1,am sick of it!!
VolPowers writes:
Here's an idea KPD as how to not open your actions up to interpretations....worry about ACTUAL CRIME!
invisiblekid writes:
"Courtesy officer" must be the politically correct term having replaced "rent-a-cop". Hard to say exactly what happened but, if it were true that Parker was trying to get others to join in on the fun, then the cop probably needed to get ahold of the situation. On the flip side, hard to say what exactly was said by both parties. I know it's hard to believe, but I have seen some cops with a bad attitude.
mallardbayvol writes:
I heard on good authority that Anthony Parker was screaming out Rocky Top and was trying to get others to join him when the police officer showed up. The aforementioned officer is from Tuscaloosa, Alambama and they got into an argument and AP decided to sing again and was arrested. Goes to show you that Saban's influence is spreading everywhere! :)
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
Shoot man,
It still looks about the same. You don't know if the report is absolutely true but according to what I have seen here, it looks like action was taken in an appropriate manner.
Two words.
"Shoulda complied"
That ends all the phooey.
rabidvol1998 writes:
nicks - "shoulda complied" .. to what? Was the officer in uniform? did he identify himself? When? Many facts still needed, so we are probably over analyzing this, but no way "That ends all the phooey".
jevolball7 writes:
"Shoulda complied"..Translation= Bow to the man, give up your rights,go to jail,feedthe man your$,pay fine+court costs. Have a nice day! What a bunch of sheep this proud country is FAST becoming!
turbo writes:
OK. He did get a chance to leave when the officer told him to and for a moment he used common sence but then AP's ego got the best of him and he wanted to show how big and bad he was...or wasn't considering he was trying to get more people to join in. Well I guess it is safe to say at 12:30 AM in an apartment complex where families live, not a dorm that you can not act like an idiot by yelling and making enough noise to have people come out side of their apartments and see what was going on.. I also wonder if AP even lives at the apartment complex. I also wonder if AP would be allowed to stand outside of Hamiltons front door while he was trying to sleep. Dont be idiots and question the officers motives he was off duty and prob. would rather not have to take time out of his own personal time to deal with this.
agentorange writes:
just like Fred Weary...arrested while being black after dark. kpd has always been clueless but at least they used to let students go after messing with them. The Josh McNeil thing was even worse. The guy was in his gd house which the lame-o cops/govt has no business going into. the real vols fought for freedom; not for the big brother phooey that is going on now. free ap.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
Geoff.
Man, with all due respect you are overreacting.
I really gained a respect for you during the season when the "heart" of this football team showed up and we won some close games. Don't get me wrong, I respect you regardless because I can detect that you TRULY CARE. But I also feel ...OK let me make this statement:
I have found in life that given two opinions, scenarios, or two sides to a story, very RARELY does the truth lie at one extreme or another. The truth ALMOST ALWAYS rests somewhere in the middle. It isn't sexy to feel "moderately" about anything. It doesn't get good ratings, and as with politics, it rarely gets votes. But it nevertheless is often THE TRUTH.
I get blasted on this forum because I try to be moderate (with an admitted lean toward forgiveness for Fulmer and the team)...Moderates are usually hated worse than extremists. Listen to Rush Limbaugh. HE HATES MODERATES.
Anyway...I know you are frustrated and embarasses that this is making headlines...but just think about this: If you didn't know about this, would you be mad? Is it the event, or the knowledge of the event, that has you frustrated?
Which brinsg us to the real truth. It is online media, reporting, and so called "journalists" eager to make a name that screw the rest of us. I promise you, this story is not newsworthy. Maybe the drug citation with the others, but not this one. The Vereen case was flimsy too. Coker was reportable news to a degree but mostly because his irresponsibility got him kicked off the team.
Journalists have a responsibility to keep things real. Yelling, waving arms? Dang, it just isn't enough. Not without knowing more! Too eager Geoff! They are! And my criticism for you...you are too. You are too eager to lay the blame on Fulmer, a coach, or a group of players...when though maybe some blame is deserved, not to this degree.
Let's keep this phooey between he lines instead of veering to one extreme or the other!!!!
DennisVols writes:
Geoff
I live down here in Atlanta. It has been reported that there were 40 shell casing found at that shooting and the officers never got to draw their guns.
One of the many sad points was that Atlanta, like most cities, does no pay its officer enough money so they have to work 2nd jobs to support their families.
One of the officers had returned from Iraq just to be shot to death by an American. Sad just doesn;t cover that.
GerryOP writes:
Simple. If you sass the cops, your gonna get in trouble. How much sass was the cop supposed to take from the 6'-3" 305 pound male? Don't really need to know many details. If the cop told the 6'-3" 305 pound male to "move on" and he didn't "move on", well, ... that's why we have judges. Don't like what the cop did, tell it to the judge.
Sounds like some of our student/athletes need to learn that if you put yourself in harms way, you might get harmed. So be it.
GerryOP writes:
Let's just leave it at this vol_in_lsu_land. I respect your opinion, will you respect mine? Be well brother.
DennisVols writes:
As I stated before "if you do not put yourself in a position to get into trouble you seldom will"
Maybe the officer over reacted, maybe he did not. Until all the facts are in any belief to either side will be un-substantiated.
The bigger question should be why do cities pay the men and woman we depend on to protect us so little that they have to work 2nd jobs. Criminals do not play by the rules, they are criminals. Rules of engagement do not apply to criminals, no warning do they give before they shoot.
Parker’s big mistake was allowing himself to be put into a position that his actions at best are questionable, at worst criminal. I know as young people we make mistakes, but that is not an excuse for making them. Looking at what had happened over the past two weeks one would think any athlete at UT would want to be beyond reproach in his or her activities. You would have to believe that there are those who would seek to see if there is more dirt than we might be lead to believe and you would make sure you r actions did not lead you to be the next pile of dirt bound for the vacuum cleaner.
bigbluevol writes:
Bottom line, Parker put himself in a bad spot. He and the cop both could have handled it better. As others have said, there are a lot of things that can be done other than arrest him. Doesn't excuse his behavior, but it doesn't mean that he's a thug or that Fulmer is turning a blind eye to it. geoff, I know that you believe Johnny would have handled this better, but you nor I nor anyone on these boards knows the full story. We never will, either. Parker screwed up, I'm sure he'll be disciplined and I'm sure that whatever his punishment, all the anti-"Foolmerites" won't be happy with it.
JETnTN writes:
Rumor I've heard is that this officer had previous issues with AP giving him a little less than 4 or 5 tickets in a month some time back....mmm rumor is they got thrown out by the chief because of officer misconduct..... that's the rumor I've heard!!
lnbadger320 writes:
ah another wonderful act by the honest KPD. those are some fine men... i'm sorry, i just couldn't my self being a smart a**. everyone knows that kpd has something against the UT football team.
maybe it's because in high school football players picked on the high school geek. so when the geek graduated they became police and vowed revenge. who knows.
jevolball7 writes:
tngeoff; you are a spineless,geek! Keep kissing their butts. Step out of line,they will come take YOU away! Let's make TN. a police state. Wake up and understand,they are civil SERVANTS,with little education, a gun and a badge. SCARY!
rabidvol1998 writes:
Oops I'm on the wrong page. Can someone give me the link to the site where we have spirited banter about sports and while we make it sound like the end of the world, we know it's not?
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
Knoxville and the KPD have had a thing against the University since back in the 40s. During the late 40s, the city made a strong suggestion that the University should leave town (too bad it didn't do so and leave Knoxville to dry up), but pulled in its horns when the University responded that such a move was in the offing. This activity was reported in both newspapers at various times after March 48.
KPD has had a problem with UT students when, according to scuttlebutt, about 1946 some guys made off with a cruiser that was never found. The story was they came out of the movie house on a cold night and found the cruiser with the motor running outside the Tennessee Cafe on W Clinch Avenue.
rabidvol1998 writes:
tngeoff - thanks for the feedback. I will never bash police in general, they have tough and important jobs and deserve our respect. I will however question individual circumstances as in these recent issues.
Thanks for your service in SD.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
Posted by GerryOP on January 28, 2008 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's just leave it at this vol_in_lsu_land. I respect your opinion, will you respect mine? Be well brother.
Hi Gerry.
Thanks for respecting my opinion. I do wonder what this question means though, because I don't believe I adressed you in any way **????**
jevolball7 writes:
Task forces?,gangs?,San Diego? I realize that San Diego is a HOT spot for GANGS.LOL...I thought that this was about a kid yelling. I assure you NO COP will ever save "my rear". Put stupid with a gun and you got a problem my "fiend".You are on a power trip and need to re-read the Constitution!!! I'm done on this subject. Cop,narc.nazi or whatever you are. Live and let live. San Diego and gangs??LOLOLOL. See Chicago or New York for reference. Geek
dallasdog1 writes:
mark richt would have been able to keep this out of the news.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
BTW Geoff.
I totally agree with you on the cop business. I'm a veteran and soldiers catch a lot of flack too. People act like soldiers are uneducated goofballs who are on power trips. They act as if every person who VOL-unteers (yeah) for the military is out to shoot innocent people on street conrners. The police get a similar bad rep.
People don't like other people in authority positions. They don't trust them. Sometimes that distrust is warranted. usually it isn't.
But this story isn't about the arrest or the cops. It's about the reporting. This doesn't deserve to be printed....
And lets look at it from a different angle. It doesn't deserve to be printed because it makes cops look bad. (unfairly)....Forget the UT football player for a moment. This article can be spun just as easily the other way. Nitpicking cops (as indicated by some posts on this article) catching flack because of an unfair article in the KNS.
Plain and simple, this event warranted no attention whatsoever. period.
rabidvol1998 writes:
tngeoff - enjoyed the conversation, time to call it a night. Let's hope the football team doesn't engage in any more behavior that will require the attention of the KPD. I see on Rivals we got an excellent cornerback whom on ESPN did not even have TN in the top 5! Maybe that's what will talk about tomorrow.
jevolball7 writes:
tngeoff: I often wonder,as all do,what kind of physical training these 5'9" 300lbs rolling doughnuts could possibly have gone through?? I assure you I am WAY over qualified to be a cop! Who ,in their right mind,would want to be a 20,000$ a year jerk? We have to have some police,all I really want is to make sure they a college degree before they get a gun and badge. Is that too much too ask? By the way, my world isn't odd,it's real. Perhaps I could tutor you. We will just agree to disagree...Back to sports.
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