Jul 21, 2013

  • Michael DiRoccoESPN Staff Writer

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    • Covered Academy of Florida for 13 seasons for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Wedlock
    • Graduate of Jacksonville University
    • Multiple APSE accolade winner

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison has been arrested for the second time in 5 weeks, this time for allegedly barking at a police canis familiaris and resisting arrest, and will miss at least the first two games of the season after being suspended from the team Sunday.

Morrison'south defense was the domestic dog barked showtime, co-ordinate to a police force report.

According to an Alachua County Sheriff Role'southward study, police responded to a suspicious incident and disturbance call at iii:43 a.m. Dominicus at a Gainesville hotel adjacent to a nightclub. While officeholder William A. Arnold was investigating the vehicle that was the discipline of the call, a group of several men were walking along SW 13th Street.

One of the men reportedly approached the patrol auto and began barking at his police dog through the open window. The study said that caused the dog, named Bear, to bawl back at the man, which Arnold says in his written report diverted his attention from investigating the vehicle.

The written report says Arnold told the man -- later identified past his driver's license equally Morrison -- to expect in front of his patrol motorcar and the man resisted when Arnold tried to handcuff him. Two other officers arrived and helped detain Morrison, according to the report.

"I'thou extremely disappointed in Antonio Morrison'south decision making," Florida coach Volition Muschamp said in a statement. "He has been suspended from the squad and volition miss at least 2 games to begin the season."

Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey said it's rare for someone to harass a canine officeholder.

"We don't see that very oft at all," he said. "Gainesville Police Department has horses and they come across information technology sometimes. Normally everybody steers clear of the dogs."

Later Dominicus, Alachua County sheriff Sadie Darnell told The Gainesville Sun that Morrison should have been given a warning past the arresting officer instead of being arrested for barking at the dog. She besides contended that Arnold was required to make a split-2d determination at a moment rife with chaos.

"Our deputies are defenseless in a lot of threatening situations and are having to brand rational, very well thought out decisions in the context of chaos, and sometimes they don't retrieve them all the way through," Darnell said, equally quoted by the Sun.

Morrison -- a 6-foot-i, 230-pound sophomore expected to be the Gators' starting middle linebacker this flavour -- told the officers he barked at the canis familiaris because the domestic dog barked at him first.

He was booked into the Alachua County Jail at 4:15 a.m. ET.

Muschamp had previously said he hadn't decided whether to suspend Morrison as a result of a June 16 abort for battery after he punched a nightclub bouncer because he was not given a discounted charge per unit for admission. Muschamp said last Tuesday that Morrison was being punished inside the programme for that transgression.

For that arrest, Morrison entered into a deferred prosecution, which stated he must pay $100 in prosecution costs and either an additional $150 or perform 12 hours of community service. He must as well complete a University of Florida drug-and-alcohol abuse grade, attend an anger-direction course and participate in 2 eight-hour ride-alongs with the University of Florida Police force Department.

If Morrison met those weather within six months, the battery accuse would be dismissed.