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UF's Wilson Gets Probation In AK-47 Incident

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 3, 2007

GAINESVILLE - University of Florida offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson will not go to jail for firing an AK-47 assault rifle into the air in a parking lot following an altercation with another man April 5.

Despite the victim's insistence in the courtroom Thursday that Wilson pointed the rifle at him before firing into the air, Alachua County judge William Davis approved a plea agreement that will give Wilson two years of probation and force him to forfeit the rifle, complete 100 hours of community service and undergo a mental health evaluation.

Wilson, 19, pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor charges of battery and discharging a firearm in public. Davis withheld adjudication, meaning that if Wilson commits another crime, he could be convicted and punished again for the April incident.

His attorney, Huntley Johnson, told the judge that Wilson has been suspended for a year from the football team, and his status as a UF student remains 'in limbo' pending a hearing today with UF's judicial affairs department.

Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 316-pound redshirt sophomore guard, admitted in court to spitting on and hitting Santa Fe Community College student Frank Fuller at XS nightclub. He also admitted to firing one round into the air minutes later. Wilson told police he was frightened because he was followed.

According to a recording of Fuller's 911 calls, Fuller followed Wilson in his vehicle for about 13 minutes before the men pulled into a parking lot off SW 16th Avenue. At some point during the pursuit, a BMW carrying Wilson parked on UF's campus, and Wilson walked to what Fuller described to the dispatcher as a blue Ford Crown Victoria. The second car had the AK-47 in the trunk.

When the men pulled into the parking lot, Fuller remained on the line with the 911 dispatcher. Fuller, who had calmly described the nightclub incident and ensuing chase to the dispatcher, initially thought Wilson had pulled a baseball bat from his trunk.

Fuller: Nope, he's got, actually, an automatic weapon. Sir, I am extremely fearful for my life right now.

Dispatcher: OK, I would go ahead and drive.

Fuller: I'm trying to. I'm trying to get away as fast as possible. Oh expletive. (A loud pop can be heard on the recording.) Oh expletive. Did you hear that?

Fuller then told the dispatcher that Wilson had returned to his car and began following Fuller.

'I don't understand how he could say he was afraid,' Fuller said Thursday. 'Why did he keep chasing me?'

Wilson did not speak in court beyond 'Yes sir' and 'no sir,' and he did not return a message left on his cell phone.

RB Taylor Transferring From Alabama To USF

TAMPA - Running back Jamar Taylor said there was nothing wrong with the University of Alabama - except it was too far from Lakeland.

A Lakeland High graduate, Taylor was accepted into the University of South Florida on Thursday, completing his transfer from Alabama, where he had enrolled in January. At Lakeland, Taylor was rated the nation's No. 25 back by Rivals.com.

'I wanted to be close to my 1-year-old son Jamar Jr., who lives in Lakeland,' Taylor said. 'It wasn't anything about Alabama. They handled everything in a first-class manner.

'The reason I left wasn't because anything was wrong, just things in my household is my first priority.'

Taylor said USF will seek a hardship waiver that, if successful, would allow him to play this season. If not successful, he would still have four years of eligibility beginning in 2008.

In other USF news: incoming freshman DT Corian Garrison will miss the season after undergoing surgery last month for a torn ACL.Redshirt freshman OL Jeff Ide, of Bradenton Manatee, also is no longer with USF's program.

Brett Huebner, who was assistant AD for business operations and human resources, was promoted to associate AD/chief financial officer.

Brett McMurphy

Keyword: Gators Report to listen to the audio of the 911 calls made during the April incident that led to the arrest of Florida offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson.

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