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Judge tosses evidence vs. Mike Scott, says racial profiling led to stop

NBA, Atlanta Hawks

A Georgia Superior Court judge has suppressed evidence in NBA player Mike Scott's felony drug case, ruling that police officers unlawfully stopped the vehicle in which he was a passenger by using racial profiling.

In 2015, Scott was charged with felony possession of marijuana and possession of a Schedule I drug (MDMA, commonly called Molly). He faced up to 25 years in prison, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

In an eight-page ruling, Banks County Superior Court Judge Currie M. Mingledorff said that Banks County sheriffs didn't have proper grounds to stop the SUV driven by Scott's then-20-year-old brother Antonn and didn't have probable cause to arrest the Scott brothers. Subsequently, officers did not perform the search of the SUV in which they found drug evidence properly, the judge said. 

According to the AJC, Mingledorff ruled that Banks County Deputy Brent Register provided "testimony that was in contradiction to admitted documentary evidence." The judge also wrote that it was "surprising and concerning" that there was no video evidence.

Mingledorff wrote in his ruling that it was "truly shocking" that Register made 47 arrests and eight citations in stops of over 1,400 motor vehicles and that minorities accounted for 44 of those arrests, according to the AJC.

"In my 35 years of practicing law, this could be the worst case of racial profiling I have ever seen, and hopefully this will lead to Banks County, Georgia, re-evaluating their policies," Mike Scott's attorney, Steve Weiner, told the AJC and The Vertical.

On July 30, 2015, the Banks County sheriff's office said deputies attempted to stop the SUV for following too closely on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta. The sheriff's office said the vehicle failed to yield for about 2 miles, reaching 98 mph, before it finally pulled over. Deputies say they found more than an ounce of marijuana and 10.9 grams of MDMA after a search.

Mike Scott, 28, played five seasons for the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 23 for cash. The Suns waived him the next day. In 281 games he has averaged 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists. A knee injury at the start of last season limited him to 18 games in 2016-17.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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