Georgia's Julian Rochester, Chad Clay arrested on weapon and criminal damage charges
Two Georgia freshman early-enrollees were arrested overnight on two felony counts related to possession of a BB gun and property damage.
Defensive lineman Julian Rochester and cornerback Chad Clay were booked early Tuesday on two felony counts, and were charged with possessing a weapon in school zone and with criminal damage in the second degree.
"I'm disappointed with the poor judgment of Julian and Chad," head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement. "We expect full compliance with the policies of the University and of our football program from all our student-athletes. Information is still being gathered but they will be disciplined in an appropriate manner."
Clay was booked at 12:13 a.m. and Rochester was booked at 12:29 am. Both were arrested by university police. Rochester was released from jail at 11:21 a.m. and Clay at 11:22 a.m. Initially given a $5,000 bond each for the criminal damage charge, each were released on a $2,000 bond -- $1,000 for the weapon and $1,000 for the damage.
The two are roommates, as both are listed with the same on-campus address.
The police report states that a maintenance employee, on site to fix a leaking toilet, saw a BB gun on a barstool in Rochester and Clay's dorm room on April 7. Two other witnesses confirmed this account as police also found BBs and drug-related paraphernalia related to marijuana, although not enough of the drug was recovered to charge anyone with possession.
Warrants for Rochester and Clay's arrests were taken out Monday.
According to Rochester and Clay's attorney, Kim Stephens, the two football players were responsible for small indentions to the sheetrock on the dorm's walls by using the BB gun to target Solo cups inside the room. Police found BBs on not only the floor of Rochester and Clay's dorm room, but also outside in the hallway. Police stated BB-sized damage was done to a neighbor's door and to the elevator on the hallway.
Stephens, however, said the damage isn't substantial and believes the charges will ultimately be dismissed. The police report lists potential damage of up to $1,035, although it was noted the price could still rise.
Even so, Stephens believes it's possible that both Rochester and Clay wind up in a pre-trial diversionary program.
"I think there are some constitutional issues related to the statute," Stephens said. "Ultimately, I would expect the firearm charge to be dismissed."
Rochester is a player who has earned first-team reps this spring and came in expected to contribute to the program early. Clay has been among the young defensive backs pushing for time in the secondary's rotation.
On Tuesday morning, Smart went on 680 The Fan and spoke about the arrests.
"I can’t say much about it. We’re still gathering information," Smart said. "I’m terribly disappointed. Very, very poor decisions by both Chad and Julian. The most upsetting part is I got to sit in both of these kids homes in December in front of their mom and dad, and calling their mom and dad was the toughest part. Both of their mom and dads are more disappointed than anybody can imagine. We’ve got a standard of excellence here at the University of Georgia that they’ve got to adhere to. If they don’t comply to that they will be disciplined for it. It’s embarrassing to them, their families, the university and all of us. But we’re still trying to gather all of the facts and information at this point. It’s disappointing."
Smart said he received text messages about what happened and that it was hard to sleep much Monday night as a result.
"Poor decisions," Smart said. "It cost all of us. It cost the university, it cost the team, It’s something we’re going to have to deal with in a proper manner."
Rochester's high school alma mater McEachern posted a statement in support of its former player.
Julian will bounce back from his mistake of having a BB gun in his dorm room. Live & learn. Supporting our fellow Indian through this time.
— McEachern Football (@McEachernFtball) April 12, 2016
On the football field, Georgia's taken some disciplinary hits to its defensive line already. Chauncey Rivers will serve a three-game suspension to start the year following a second marijuana-related arrest in December. Jonathan Ledbetter will serve a one-game suspension in the season-opener against North Carolina due to an alcohol-related arrest in March.
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This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Georgia's Julian Rochester, Chad Clay arrested on weapon and criminal damage charges."