MVN - Most Valuable Network

Cedric Benson can’t be in two places at once

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson has a May 19 court date in Austin, Texas, to answer charges of boating under the influence and disorderly charges arising from an incident Saturday evening aboard Benson’s 30 ft. boat.

May 19 is the start of the Bears Organized Team Activity [OTA].

Benson, who says he was neither drunk nor resisted arrest, intends to fight the charges. Sgt. Leonard Snyder of the Lower Colorado River Authority called Benson “combative” and said he failed a field sobriety test and resisted going ashore for further tests.

At some point, Snyder used pepper spray against Benson that left him crying and calling for his mother who may have been on the boat; the stories are not clear about that.

The Bears seem inclined to give Benson the benefit of the doubt, pending the outcome of the case. Head coach Lovie Smith admitted to being disappointed upon hearing the news.

Chicago drafted rookie running back Matt Forte and expect him to compete for the starting role.
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Initial reports of the incident say that 15 passengers were aboard Benson’s boat Saturday evening. I can tell you as a boat owner that many people aboard a boat of that size is a near guarantee of police scrutiny.

The water police and the Coast Guard have the legal authority to stop any vessel any time to conduct a safety check. One of the primary reasons for a stop is to verify that a lifevest is available for every person on board, as required by federal and most state regulations.

These are safety stops and authorities do it with regularity. They do not require probable cause to make the stop, often stopping boaters who show no sign of criminal behavior.

Fifteen passengers on a mid-sized boat invites questioning. If you are a boater, you better have 15 lifevests on board.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 12:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.