Federal agents are running traces on the guns to determine if they had been reported stolen or had been linked through ballistics to any crimes. The second weapon is a Smith and Wesson product.
KCSO arrest reports
Court documents
KNOXVILLE - A woman who loaned her mother's rental car to four University of Tennessee basketball players accused of drug and weapon charges during a traffic stop had no knowledge of the two semiautomatic 9 mm weapons in the vehicle, an attorney said.
"Absolutely, she had nothing to do with any guns," T. Scott Jones said.
Jones represents 26-year-old Niya Goins and her mother, Teresa Dixon, both of Knoxville. Dixon on Dec. 29 rented the black 2010 Dodge Charger that was stopped on New Year's Day by Knoxville police because of a speeding violation on eastbound Interstate 40 near the Alcoa Highway interchange.
Dixon also denied any knowledge of guns in the Charger, Jones said.
Police still haven't talked with Dixon today but plan to interview her tonight, a spokesman said.
During the traffic stop, police smelled the odor of marijuana in the car and searched it after a drug dog scented on the vehicle as containing an illicit substance, according to records.
Jones said Dixon rented the car because her personal vehicle had mechanical problems and was being repaired. Dixon allowed her daughter, to use the Charger, Jones said.
"There are no NCAA violations here," Jones said. "The daughter was utilizing the car, and she let somebody else use it."
UT players Tyler Smith, Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins were riding in the Charger when it was stopped about 11:30 a.m. Inside the car police found two semiautomatic 9 mm handguns and loaded magazines for each, a bag of marijuana and an open container of alcohol, according to records.
Jones now has said Dixon and Niya Goins have no connection to the weapons, leaving only the four players' admission to police that they knew about the guns - including one with a filed down serial number - and at least one of them had tried to remove the magazines from each weapon.
None of the players, however, claimed ownership of the weapons or the bag of pot found in a backpack bearing Williams' name.
Police have finished a check for fingerprints on the guns, spokesman Darrell DeBusk said. He wouldn't discuss the fingerprint results.
The four players were charged with possessing weapons for the purpose of going armed.
Williams, 22, of Bronx, N.Y., and Smith, 23, of Pulaski, Tenn., who were sitting near where a Taurus handgun was found, also were charged with possessing an item with an altered serial number. The serial number on the Taurus had been filed down.
All the state charges are misdemeanor offenses.
Federal agents, however, are running traces on the guns to determine if they had been reported stolen or had been linked through ballistics to any crimes. The second weapon is a Smith and Wesson product.
In addition, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number is a federal offense. U.S. Attorney Russ Dedrick said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will determine if his office should review the case for possible federal charges.
Federal law for possessing a weapon with an altered serial number carries a maximum five years imprisonment upon conviction.
Police wouldn't say whether they recovered the altered serial number from the gun.
Although records state Smith told police they knew about the guns when they picked up the Charger in Nashville, Jones said Niya Goins gave Smith the car on New Year's Eve after the team returned to Knoxville from its victory over Memphis.
Jones said Niya Goins was friends with Smith. Although Dixon didn't specifically give permission for her daughter to loan the Charger to Smith, Jones said Dixon knew Smith "as a fine young man" would not have objected to letting him drive the rental car.
Dixon knew Smith, Jones said, through her daughter's association with the player.
Niya Goins is not related to Melvin Goins, Jones said. She does not attend UT.
Williams and Goins, 22, of Dallas, Texas, also face charges of simple possession of marijuana. They were sitting in the back seat of the car where a backpack containing the pot was located.
Jones said Dixon rented the Charger from Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Clinton Highway after her vehicle broke down. She was paying $27.99 a day for the rental on a special holiday rate.
Jones said when Niya Goins loaned Smith the Charger, it wasn't for the purpose of driving to any specific location. He said Dixon and Niya Goins don't know if the Charger was driven to Nashville.
One of the arrested players, however, had tweeted on New Year's Eve that he intended to celebrate the new year at a Nashville club.
Knoxville police have asked to speak to Dixon, Jones said.
"We haven't granted that request yet, although we expect to make her available to police," he said. No appointment has been set for police to interview either the mother or the daughter, he said.
Dixon, Jones said, is upset about the matter.
"She's not happy about it," he said. "She's gotten caught up in a whirlwind not of her own making."
"We don't want to be painted with a broad brush as being involved in any wrongdoing," he said of his clients.
All of the players have been indefinitely suspended from the team by coach Bruce Pearl.
More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.
Staff writer Matt Lakin contributed to this story.
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Comments » 123
KENVOL writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
UrbanCryer writes:
they've got to go. if the season is over so be it. zero tolerance should have been in place from the beginning.
Orangeblood13 writes:
just makes me sick to my stomach
SonThe7th (Inactive) writes:
They trying to find somebody else to drag into this mess?
UT students smoke pot? Maybe half?? Maybe more.. How many drink booze, alcohol? Maybe three fourths or seventyfive percent.. So are half the UT students 'thugs'?? Are only minority students that smoke pot, thugs? Wait, these guys, that like most elite athletes, generate billions in revenue for the university, but they got a 'gift', the opportunity to work for free, to make billions for UT, and blew it all, by having some pot.. Are they the only 'thugs', because somebody would have gotten their 'spot' on the team, if they had not 'fooled' the coach?? Think about the twisted logic here.. Young people do stupid things, take crazy risks, are disconnected from the real world, insulated by 'academia', and have a casual attitude twoard marijauna.. Did these guys break the law? Yes.. Was a speeding ticket deserved? Yes.. Was the group profiled and searched because of who they are, young minoritys in a new car? Probably.. But the officer 'smelled' marijuana, as is often the case when minoritys are pulled over, refuse to consent to a search.. JJ knows how to get evidence, pull a SWAT team assault..
GerryOP writes:
Information keeps coming in. Tends to not look good for these guys. Sad.
kevin151 writes:
Kansas by 30 Saturday
Pullingguard writes:
Is it really that easy, just drag them downtown!! Don't think so... Also
they mention open container, and its visible;
although evidently the driver was not drinking
for no mention of DUI in this case.. It will
all filter through and players will be given another opportunity, and thats probably what should happen, for no sense in using the Kill method for players who have evidently been pretty good citizens of the University so far.
Bristol writes:
I did not know that you can rent cars with guns already in them. All you have to do is find them. Wonder if there is an extra charge for this???
SonThe7th (Inactive) writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
BigBadVol writes:
Something smells fishy here. The girls had no knowledge of the guns? How did they get there? Did the players take them to the Memphis game? That doesn't make sense. Did the players go over to someones house and load up with weapons before driving to Knoxville. Something is not adding up here.
KCHS63 writes:
Anybody else find it interesting that the attorney representing the two women made the statement: "There is no NCAA violation here?" Why would his two clients care about that? Why in the world would they be the least bit concerned about the NCAA?
Also, the four players need to remember that Jantzen Jackson was cleared of any wrongdoing in his case because he came totally clean with the authorities. If nobody fesses up, they all have to be presumed guilty. If you have knowledge of a crime and don't report it, you have legal liabilities, even if you're innocent of the original crime. Sorry guys, it looks like you're gonna have a lot of street cred and be heroes in the clubs, but you won't have a college scholarship and you get to go back to New York, Pulaski, etc. and get to hear all those "I'm so sorry, honey" lines from your grandmas.
oldsarge writes:
The lawyer representing Niya Goins says she didn't know anything about any guns. Is anyone shocked by this? If Miss Goins admitted she knew about the guns with the erased serial numbers she would be admitting to a crime. I don't think even a lawyer who finished at the bottom of his class would let her do this.
Southland writes:
this post has to be a joke No one is foolish enough to pretend all of this means nothing
olddawg91 writes:
here you go again with this profiling junck,I noticed that you left out the part about the guns how many UT students cruise around smoking dope and drinking with 2 9mm pistols with serial numbers filed off? this is what makes them thugs you only file the numbers off if you intend or have committed a crime with it.
BeRealistic writes:
Let's solve this issue. Make it legal for all UT students to speed, carry weapons, drink, & use drugs at any age. ISSUE CLOSED
Southland writes:
who expects any of this bunch to tell the truth I believe if I was as big as these dudes I wouldnt be such a coward that I would have to have a pistol. Kick them off the team. Stop dragging it out. UT has looked bad enough.
creech37914#232422 writes:
I rent cars all the time because I travel with my job. It may be my company's rule, but I am not to allow anyone to drive the vehicle except me and others who work for my company. I doubt the car rental agency would be too pleased to know that one person had rented the car, and it had ended up being driven by someone not even related.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
No, Tennessee by 10 on Sunday. No one knows who's going to win but I'm going to cheer as loud as I can for the Vols unconditionally, unlike all you pansy fairweather fans. I'm so sick of UT getting a reputation for bad fans and it's because of little girls like you. How about we unite under these bad conditions and support our team? Oh yeah I'm the only person in this regions who knows ANYTHING about fandom.
Skullz_VOL writes:
And 60 on Sunday
olddawg91 writes:
amen brother! this whole gansta bunch are all a bunch of pansies that are afraid of getting their but kicked in a real fight, I'm sick of it!
BigHornBuckShot writes:
Why admit guilt now. The arraignment is not until January 14th. Then you say guilty or not guilty. What is Botch up to. If they knew the altered guns were in the car, it is a federal offense and 5 years in jail. Why do they want that? Play it out. Lie! Nobody cares. Blame it on some unknown person. Lie, we need you.
TommyJack writes:
The sky is falling. We shall all be killed!
Get a grip, people.
VolinCalif writes:
You've got that right. "Girl keep your mouth shut if I'm going to rep. you. I'll tell you what you can say" First thing you hear from any Att.
stevefrommemphis writes:
I generally agree with you.
It's 11:15 a.m. I wonder how many federal laws I have already violated today? Probably two or three, though I have no idea what they are.
gillblog writes:
I say, O.J. did it.
BigHornBuckShot writes:
A lawyer friend of mine answered the question for me. Why did they admit that they knew the guns were in the car??? Cause their fingerprints were all over them. I didn't even think of that. They couldn't have lied about that, so they tried something else.
BayardDonahoo writes:
I'd like to know if anybody at the Sentinel has an educated guess as to how long this investigative process with the guns should take? Shouldn't the Smith and Wesson, (which has a full, unaltered, serial number) be quicker to trace? Shouldn't the police have at least some info on it?
garrthom writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
VolinCalif writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
crimsonviper writes:
A grip?On this board?
Surely you jest, TJ.
The panic patrol has taken over.
MickMousey writes:
Listen to the music...
That is without a doubt one of the dumbest things I've ever read. I wish I could go back five seconds and forget everything I just read. Unfortunately, I signed up just to tell you that you're lacking brain cells.
You're confusing friends with a gang. Not surprising seeing as it sounds like you have none. At least none that are loyal.
I've got pulled over with pot before and cops did everything they could to find out where I was coming from. I wouldn't tell them, I guess I'm in a gang. My crew is hard yo! White kids from a suburban neighborhood that live in big houses and drive nice cars.
You should me a kid who hasn't drank or smoked pot, I'll show you a nerd. The serial numbers being etched off is sketchy but who said they did it? They could have bought it the way. Could you blame them for wanting to protect themselves? If I were to ever visit Memphis, I'd probably want a gun handy also.
makelemonade writes:
I don't know why everyone thinks we're going to fall apart. I really think we will be a better team in the long run. This incident just let Pearl shed a little dead weight. The only issue I see is a depth problem in case of injuries or foul trouble.
I said it long before Tyler ever got in trouble, he's the most overated player in the history of TN BBall. All this talk of him being an NBA prospect, ridiculous. He suc*s, does anyone ever actually watch him play?
Williams is just a foul or turnover waiting to happen.
If Tatum could play consistent, he would make an excellent player(too stoned I guess).
The biggst loss here is Goins, he has been a solid backup point guard, and besides his free throw shooting, he brings a much needed spark to the offense.
Give the guys a little time to adjust and you will see a much harder working, disciplined team. Don't give up just yet. GBO
VolinCalif writes:
The grips were on the gun butt's. TJ knows that and is just quizzing you. As for the patrol the trolls call them hourly.
MickMousey writes:
Listen to the music...
That is without a doubt one of the dumbest things I've ever read. I wish I could go back five seconds and forget everything I just read. Unfortunately, I signed up just to tell you that you're lacking brain cells.
You're confusing friends with a gang. Not surprising seeing as it sounds like you have none. At least none that are loyal.
I've got pulled over with pot before and cops did everything they could to find out where I was coming from. I wouldn't tell them, I guess I'm in a gang. My crew is hard yo! White kids from a suburban neighborhood that live in big houses and drive nice cars.
You show me a kid who hasn't drank or smoked pot, I'll show you a nerd. The serial numbers being etched off is sketchy but who said they did it? They could have bought it that way. Could you blame them for wanting to protect themselves? If I were to ever visit Memphis, I'd probably want a gun handy also.
CheckPtCharlie writes:
These prima donas will continue to be idolized by UT fans.
VolinCalif writes:
TJ I know you have stated this a couple of times. But it sure appears there was a lot of traveling going on with this crew. Memphis, Knox, Nashville, Knox. What input do you hear that would make any sense of traveling like that. It couldn't be to pick up drugs that stuff is everywhere.
jmr68ut writes:
I'd have to say a disgruntled Memphis fan planted the guns. It could happen!!! :-)
richvol writes:
All of the players are not saying who owns and brought the guns and pot. If Tyler Smith was any kind of real leader and captain of this team he would step forward with the truth about this mess. He,and the others,knows exactly what happened but chooses to keep everyone equally guilty instead of stepping forward like a man with the truth. A captain and leader like this we don't need on UT's squad and that should be obvious to everyone.
crimsonviper writes:
A real hero is this one Rob....Fight the power Naffy.
http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages...
Volumnus writes:
These young men did not choose to be minorities, they did choose to fit the profile that fits many young males in the minority community.
The officer did pull them over for speeding, may have profiled them, but they fulfilled the profile to the letter. Not the officer's fault. I have read that the officer called in a dog and reported a hit. One presumes they got a warrant from the bench judge on duty to search.
I am sure a lot of kids on every campus smoke chronic, some probably do crack. A high percentage of them use alcohol. They are subject to the laws of society when they violate the law as well. If they are on academic scholarship and it is a campus incident in 90% of the cases they have signed a contract that will terminate their scholarships, immediately, without recourse. Some schools require a contract that has a good citizen clause and can terminate with off campus incidents(my son's scholarships have those).
If one is inked like a thug, has unregistered guns with ammo available, not locked in a gun case in the trunk, but in the passenger compartment; does not claim ownership of the weapons, with one being altered(federal charge coming); open containers (2), and hippie lettuce(please note not charged with intent to distribute even though it was supposedly more than a gram), they just might look to the average person like "Thugs." Are they thugs???
Who knows?
I classify a duck as a bird that swims, has webbed feet and waddles and is smaller than a goose and bigger than a chicken. I can't help that being a duck in the "fowl world" is a minority status, I just classify it as a duck.
The young men in question were in control of the decisions that led to them being "profiled", fulfilling the prophecy of the "profile" and the classification that observers may place on them.
They have been given a privilege that only about 3280 young men in the country have been given, to play scholarship ball at a D1 university. That is less than 4000 out of 300 million, or .0000109% of the population. In return they get an education(if they choose to partake)and a stage to audition for an incredible paycheck down the road. With that privilege comes the responsibility to not allow one's self to be put into a position to be profiled as a "Thug". Simply put race has nothing to do with this until a person tries to use it as an excuse. It is not an excuse, it is a weak crutch for anyone to use for those 4 (of the approximately 3300 students) who screwed up unmercifully. They did not screw up because of a minority status. To imply that insults all upstanding minority people of every race. They screwed up because of a series of poor decisions, not one but several. That more than anything is the damning evidence here.
These young adult males are old enough to know the consequences(all over 21)and had to sign a letter of intent with the rules spelled out. They are not stupid, they made these decisions consciously.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
I have absolutely no idea of what you were trying to say. I'm a fan who's tired of other "fans" who just give up when something bad happens. That's bogus. That's NOT being a fan and it's a disgrace. I don't care what happens, I will always cheer loud for UT. In my opinion, I would think that all the real fans would have the same mentality as I.
globadoc writes:
Just to play devil's advocate for a second: If the gun charges are dropped or reduced to a misdemeanor, why shouldn't they be put back on the team (after a lengthy suspension - say 10-15 games)? Neither speeding, possession of a small bag of weed (i.e. not for resale), nor driving with an open liquor container are sufficient grounds for dismissal under 'typical' NCAA Div-I practices.
I promise I'm not trying to let the dumb(donkey)s off the hook, but there are very few other winning teams in the country that would realistically drop a kid for other 'relatively' minor stuff. Of course, this may all be moot if the gun charges are filed. Automatically, this becomes a major issue worthy of dismissal of at least one person per gun.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
haha exactly.
murrayvol writes:
Just some FWIW advice. If you're packing heat and smoking dope, stay under the speed limit.
OrangeCrush writes:
On a positive note, renting a vehicle for $27.99 a day on a special holiday rate was a good deal.
VolinCalif writes:
Too late Murray. When my Pappy was teaching me how to drive a car, He said " Son never let a smart A@@ make you make a dumb mistake." I have passed that on to all my children. Someone should have talked to these 4. Don't know who the smart one was but the dumb ones are obvious.
VolinCalif writes:
Tell me guys. Is the hood missing off that rental car? Sure looks that way in the Pic's, nothing like attracting attention when you're doing something wrong.
WytheVol writes:
Well said rbrmoc. I can't understand why people want to rationalize this. It's not a serious issue? 4 guys, smoking dope and boozed up with loaded weapons in the car... It's a recipe for disaster and we are all lucky the KPD got em before anyone did get hurt.
I hope these guys (and anyone else for that matter) learn a lesson from this. I have no problem with people owning/carrying guns. I do, however, have a problem with anyone being drunk and doped up while packing. Whatever happens, happens. Nothing we say here will change it.. But I agree whole heartedly with the everybody does it argument being bullsh*t.. Regardless of the charges, they should be dismissed from the team for actions detrimental to their University. These guys aren't all just "kids"... At age 22-23... if you don't know better than this, you deserve what you get!!
Bristol writes:
Your last sentence does not make any sense.
WytheVol writes:
That just makes too much sense...
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