UT drops interest in commitment after second arrest

DeeJay Hunter

DeeJay Hunter

A Tennessee football commitment is no longer being recruited by the Vols after his second brush with the law since July.

Dwayne “DeeJay” Hunter Jr. of Middletown (Ohio) High School, a 6-foot, 196-pound defensive back, is facing a felonious assault charge in the BB gun shooting of another teenager who was struck twice in the head, the Middletown Journal reported Friday citing police.

Hunter, 18, was arrested Tuesday, a day after a 15-year-old boy was shot in the cheek and left eyelid, police said. Juvenile detectives took Hunter into custody at school.

Hunter committed to UT on July 9 after making a visit to Knoxville, although there were reports earlier in the week he was keeping his options open and would be visiting Big Ten schools.

UT officials were only made aware of Hunter's troubled past today after learning about the newspaper report.

The Middletown Journal reported that Hunter was also arrested in July and charged as a juvenile with aggravated trespassing, assault and criminal damaging after kicking in the door at a residence and assaulting a girl.

It's not clear if the incident took place after his commitment to UT. Hunter was also being recruited by several Big Ten schools, including Ohio State and Michigan.

Juvenile Detective Fred Shuemake told the newspaper that Hunter entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge and was to told to stay away from the girl. Butler County Juvenile court would not release any information because Hunter was a juvenile at the time of the offense, according to court adminstrator Rob Clevenger.

In Tuesday’s incident, police said Hunter and Terez Terry, 18, were driving at about 4:30 p.m. Monday when someone fired two shots, hitting the 15-year-old twice in the face. The boy was taken to the Atrium Medical Center for treatment.

Terry is charged with obstruction of official business. He was also a member of the football team.

Lt. Rodney Muterspaw told the newspaper it appears the victim was shot at random.

“The kid was just walking home minding his business and got shot twice,” he said.

Hunter was released from the Middletown City Jail after posting bond Wednesday. He is scheduled to appear in Middletown Municipal Court on Jan. 21.

Rivals.com ranks Hunter as a four-star prospect and the No. 14 cornerback prospect in the nation, while Scout.com gave Hunter three stars and lists him as its No. 36 cornerback.

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!