BYU Football Player Ula Tolutau cited for possession of Marijuana

[accadacca]

BYU freshman running back Ula Tolutau was cited for possession of Marijuana on Oct. 8th. You can see the court summons issued to Tolutau from the Orem City Justice Court.

He has played 2 games since the citation and is BYU's leading rusher. Strange stuff. What about the Honor Code? Is the LDS Church going to legalize Mary Jane?

[rockgremlin]

First it was Coca Cola at the games, and now this.

Caffeine is a slippery slope...

[accadacca]

First it was Coca Cola at the games, and now this.

Caffeine is a slippery slope...

Give them an inch and they take a mile! Lol

[rockgremlin]

It finally makes headlines -- What I wanna know is....if Toluta'u was found in possession of marijuana, why was he just cited and let go? Isn't that an arrest-able offense here in Utah -- especially in Utah County?


BYU Running Back Cited for Marijuana Possession
By Sean Walker, KSL.com | Posted Oct 24th, 2017 @ 4:42pm



OREM — A BYU football player has been cited for possession of a controlled substance in Orem, just days after news broke of a former BYU linebacker and defensive back who were cited with alcohol-related offenses in Vineyard. Court documents reveal that running back Ula Toluta'u received a citation in the Orem Justice Court for one count of possession or use of a controlled substance. The offense, a class B misdemeanor, stems from an altercation that occurred on or around Oct. 8 in Orem, according to the report, which states that Toluta'u knowingly and intentionally used or possessed marijuana based on evidence obtained by the Utah County Sheriff's Office. Tolata'u was among a group of individuals pulled over by a Utah County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop around midnight Oct. 8, a day after the Cougars' 24-7 loss to Boise State, on University Parkway in Orem, according to Utah County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Spencer Cannon. As the responding deputy approached the vehicle, he smelled alcohol and marijuana emanating from the four individuals, Cannon said.

“They were all adults, and all old enough to drink," said Cannon, who added there was not an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. "He had the driver go through a field sobriety test and determined he had consumed alcohol but was not impaired. “During the course of the DUI, Mr. Toluta’u was a passenger and handed the deputy a Frisbee that had loose marijuana in it. He (the deputy) asked Mr. Toluta’u about it, and he said he didn’t have a baggie." Toluta'u was cited for possession of a controlled substance, and no other citations were issued during the traffic stop, Cannon said. Toluta'u, a former East High star running back, who originally committed to Wisconsin before a two-year mission for the LDS Church in California, has become BYU's No. 1 back in recent weeks. After a slow start to the season due to an injury sustained in fall camp, Toluta'u ran for 102 yards against Utah State to seize a top spot on the depth chart at BYU.

Toluta'u has rushed for 303 yards and two touchdowns for BYU (1-7) in 2017, averaging 4.21 yards per carry.
BYU football spokesman Brett Pyne confirmed that head coach Kalani Sitake was "aware" of the situation surrounding Toluta'u but declined to discuss the matter further, citing the university's policy not to comment on individual student-athlete affairs. A university spokesman also declined to comment, citing a similar policy. Last Saturday, former linebacker Francis Bernard was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, among other allegations, following a traffic stop in Vineyard. Former teammate Marvin Hifo, a senior who played safety at BYU, was a passenger in Bernard's vehicle and cited for having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.

Sitake clarified Monday during his weekly press briefing that Bernard, who did not enroll in fall semester classes at BYU, asked for and was granted a release from the team "a couple of weeks" ago. “I wish him the best in finding what is best for him," Sitake said of Bernard. Hifo had previously left the team after being injured against Boise State. The Mt. San Jacinto Junior College transfer joined the team with one season of collegiate eligibility remaining to play with younger brother Aleva Hifo, a freshman wide receiver at BYU. Sitake said Marvin Hifo was no longer enrolled in classes at BYU. The Cougars will try to snap a seven-game losing streak Saturday at 1 p.m. MT against San Jose State (1-7).

Contributing: Cleon Wall

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46185714&nid=272

[accadacca]

So was it not his stash? Why did he play two games after or did the coaches not find out until now?

If he doesn't play this week then we can assume the later.

[rockgremlin]

I would think that if he wasn't arrested, then the coaching staff never found out -- otherwise he wouldn't have been playing. Cuz...getting caught in possession of marijuana in a car full of a bunch of other intoxicated dudes would've been a clear violation of BYU's honor code.

[accadacca]

I would think that if he wasn't arrested, then the coaching staff never found out -- otherwise he wouldn't have been playing. Cuz...getting caught in possession of marijuana in a car full of a bunch of other intoxicated dudes would've been a clear violation of BYU's honor code.

Yeah, curious too why he wasn't arrested?

[Iceaxe]

Yeah, curious too why he wasn't arrested?

Because they don't arrest you for misdemeanors, they issue you a ticket. It's much cheaper on the taxpayers that way.

[Sombeech]

I think it's very rare to get arrested just for possessing weed, an amount described for "personal use". They start throwing on the cuffs when you've got massive amounts and a clear intention to sell, wads of cash, dosages in baggies, things like that. Even though it's not legal, people will hardly ever go to jail or even very rarely sit in the back of a cop car just for having a small amount of weed. It's when there's something else in addition that will get them in trouble.

But the "legalize" crowd will try to take all of these arrests and prison sentences and make them sound like it was all for a small personal dose of weed, when in reality the person had an outstanding warrant, or was driving under the influence, or had a gun, or any other amount of additional reasons. People don't go to jail for personal doses of weed, unless it's for a standard DUI.