On Monday, Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Pitt wing Ithiel Horton’s court hearing has been moved up to Dec. 30.
At Horton’s original hearing on Nov. 18, the conclusion that was met was that it would be continued on Jan. 19. However, now, according to the report, that new hearing will be on Dec. 30.
Horton was arrested back on Nov. 6 and is currently facing charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and public drunkenness after an alleged physical encounter with a police officer.
” We are extremely disappointed and frustrated,” Horton’s attorney Phil DiLucente told Pittsburgh Sports Now after the first hearing was initially postponed. “My client was simply exercising his constitutional rights of free speech, he was exercising his freedom of expression, albeit one could argue with language that would offend some, however, that language did not arise to the level of a threat in any form whatsoever. The situation could have very easily been deescalated and instead was escalated.”
Shortly after the incident, Pitt suspended Horton from the team indefinitely.
Last season for the Panthers, Horton averaged 8.9 points per game and hit 43 three-pointers in 22 appearances.
“My client was simply exercising his constitutional rights of free speech, he was exercising his freedom of expression, albeit one could argue with language that would offend some, however, that language did not arise to the level of a threat in any form whatsoever. The situation could have very easily been deescalated and instead was escalated.”
Zip it dude. It was reported that he punched a cop.
Also, where is Capel on the derogatory names his player called the female cop? Silence is violence Jeff. Capel is coming off as quite the hypocrite.
Calling a police officer a derogatory name is speech protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The constitutionally protected speech resulted in an unwarranted escalation by the police. All subsequent events are the related to an attempt to arrest a kid for exercise of a constitutional right.
came here to say this