Lions' Corey Williams Protests 2011 DWI Arrest As Racial Profiling
By Christy Strawser
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) Staff at Monticello District Court in Arkansas confirmed Friday that Detroit Lions' Corey Williams was arrested and held on a driving while impaired charge a year ago.
Arkansas state troopers said Williams crossed the center line and blew a .10 on the Breathalyzer, over the state's .08 limit for drunken driving, at 11:30 p.m. on June 18, 2011.
His attorney filed a motion to suppress the traffic stop, claiming Williams was a victim of racial profiling. The judge took the motion under advisement during a hearing this week; a ruling on the case is expected soon.
"I don't know how it went a year without being noticed ... I got a call that he was in town, I put the information together, I went to court and took a photo," said Joe Burgess, who witnessed the arraignment and broke the story on his news website Monticello Live.
Burgess added he didn't believe the profiling claim about the trooper in rural Arkansas.
"I know the trooper, he's not racist, he stops and writes everybody," Burgess said.
So why has it taken so long for the court date?
"I guess it's because of scheduling, we're a small town here, we don't have court everyday," Burgess said.
The Detroit Lions' Tim Twentyman put this out on Twitter: "Corey did not report this incident to us when it happened due to the prohibition of contact during last year's work stoppage. We are aware of today's reports. We are in process of gathering more info and will have further comment when appropriate."
Williams, a defensive tackle, joined the team in March 2010 when he was traded from the Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Arkansas State University, starting his NFL career in 2004 with the Green Bay Packers.
The Lions have made headlines several times recently with drunk driving and drug-related arrests -- Nick Fairley was arrested twice -- once in May for driving under the influence and eluding police in Alabama, following an April arrest for marijuana possession; Aaron Berry was arrested last month for a DUI in Pennsylvania when police said he struck a parked car.
The Lions' Malik Leshoure faced his second marijuana charge after he was arrested in April in Berrien County while driving with a friend. He had an earlier charge in the same area just a few weeks before. In his second go-round, Leshoure allegedly tried to avoid arrest by stuffing the marijuana in his mouth, claiming to police it was potpourri.
