Deondre Francois, a Florida State quarterback, has been working hard to recover from a previous injury and to impress his football coach. However, despite all his good intentions, a two-month drug investigation led to a search warrant being issued for his home in Tallahassee. There, the police discovered a mixture of marijuana and tobacco along with other drug-related items.
He was not arrested for the possession of the substances, instead receiving a misdemeanor for possession. He was offered the opportunity to go through a pretrial diversion program that could help have the charge completely removed from his record if he complies with the court’s requirements.
It’s unfortunate, but the trouble he’s in with the law could impact his career in football with the Seminoles. He argues that the marijuana and drugs were not his but were his girlfriend’s; she was at the home at the time the search warrant was executed. He allegedly told police he’s unable to smoke at the moment and that he hadn’t used the drugs since Dec. 2017. He qualified for the state diversion program as a result of the small amount of drugs found in the apartment (less than 20 grams of marijuana).
In the diversion program, the young man will need to do community service and avoid getting into trouble with the law for between three months and one year. He’ll have to pay a small fine of $100 for the state attorney’s office’s involvement in the case. It’s possible he could be asked to enter a substance abuse program as well.
A diversion program will help this young man potentially avoid trouble in the future from this incident. It could be beneficial in your case, too.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, “FSU QB Deondre Francois offered diversion program for misdemeanor marijuana charge,” Safid Deen, April 13, 2018