The Back Alley Archives

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/2007 ... 0/GATORS01

Senior defensive back Earl A. "Tony" Joiner, 21, was arrested at 4:59 a.m. outside the fenced impound lot of Watson's Towing at 516 SW 1st St.

Joiner, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 194 pounds, was accused of pushing a heavy electric gate open to enter the lot in an attempt to retrieve his girlfriend's car which was being held in lieu of a $76 towing bill, according to police reports.

According to Gainesville Police, witnesses said a man pushed open the gate at 4:30 a.m., got into a car, drove the car out of the lot and was trying to close the gate when he was confronted by one of two witnesses. The witness said the man drove the car back into the lot and waited for officers to arrive.

that's polk county right there for you [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

on another note....i don't understand his charge.

http://www.circuit8.org/cgi-bin/jaildet ... 7JBN212129

Burglary in the 2nd Degree under F.S. 810.02(3)a, which requires the offender to enter or remain in a dwelling. According to the statute, a dwelling is a building that "is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night". I don't see how a towing company's impound lot qualifies.

it'll probably get knocked down to trespassing...they start out with the highest they think they can get away with.

that's polk county right there for you [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

on another note....i don't understand his charge.

http://www.circuit8.org/cgi-bin/jaildet ... 7JBN212129

Burglary in the 2nd Degree under F.S. 810.02(3)a, which requires the offender to enter or remain in a dwelling. According to the statute, a dwelling is a building that "is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night". I don't see how a towing company's impound lot qualifies.

To put it simply, the cops don't know what they're doing when they charge people. The actual charges will be decided by the prosecutor.

I figured that might be it, Z. And people wonder why I am leery of the boys in blue.

why do people decide to do stuff that could "POTENTIALLY" be perceived as wrong.

WHY!!!!??????!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?![/size]


shame on tony joiner for 2 reasons...

1 - bad judgement
2 - worse judgement in the company he keeps...why on earth would you hang around a person that would have you do something 'potentially' illegal or better yet, why on earth would SHE make tony do something 'potentially' illegal if she thought the ramifications would mean incarceration?

stoopid....

definitely bad judgment.

i don't think we can assume the chick made him do it. maybe she did, maybe she didn't.

Fock, that sucks. I would like to say you'd think he'd know better, but I used to know someone who did exactly what he did after her car got towed one night and she actually got away with it.

definitely bad judgment.

i don't think we can assume the chick made him do it. maybe she did, maybe she didn't.

my wife would never put me in that situation.

and if she did, i wouldn't listen to her.

so whatever mr joiners circumstance was, his chick did not deter him.

she might have tried to deter him. he may just have been a huge dumbass.

Seems it would be freakin simpler to come up with the $76. Guess at 19 he's still got a lot of growing up to do.
Has he been in Meyers' bad books before now?

Should have read better - I guess he's 21 not 19 years old.

AND on top of all that, he's the fucking CAPTAIN!!!!

He's Tebows roommate too! How did he get out at 4am in the morning without Tebows X-ray vision picking him up?

Furthermore, if this is his gf's fault she should have to give the whole team a bj for letting them down.

....and the fan base too....lol

Man, you gotta walk the walk.

Actually Rad...not that I'm defending either of their actions but they tow cars in Gainesville at the drop of a hat. Parking is at a premium (at least it was when I was there) and it's practically impossible to find a place to park when you're trying to get to class to take a test or something. They towed my car many times while I was there, but I honestly had two choices...park and play the towing fee so I could take my test or two, miss my test and get a failing grade. I ususally chose option one. But going in after it? I dunno, the way they towed people did piss me off quite a bit...but of course, this is going too far.

I assume he won't be playing this weekend???? that is what totally sucks.

Sucks if he misses this weekend.
I got a parking ticket at UF last week. My son had a morning appointment at AGH. So, I removed my decal because I parked in the patient parking lot - thought they might ticket me as an employee parking in the patient spaces. Anyway, when I went to work in the afternoon I forgot to stick the darn decal back on the window......doh!!! So I got the freaking ticket anyway. I'm appealing it saying the stupid suction cups gave out and the decal fell on the car floor. Think I'll have to end up paying though.

Actually Rad...not that I'm defending either of their actions but they tow cars in Gainesville at the drop of a hat. Parking is at a premium (at least it was when I was there) and it's practically impossible to find a place to park when you're trying to get to class to take a test or something. They towed my car many times while I was there, but I honestly had two choices...park and play the towing fee so I could take my test or two, miss my test and get a failing grade. I ususally chose option one. But going in after it? I dunno, the way they towed people did piss me off quite a bit...but of course, this is going too far.

I assume he won't be playing this weekend???? that is what totally sucks.

discipline!

...if going an hour early does not net you available parking, you know what i'm gonna say next right?

and what does tj have to do with his chick taking a chance on not getting towed knowing very well that they tow very swiftly...she asking him to do something about it makes HER an idiot....makes him stupid for listening and hanging around people that put him at risk.

i haven't heard details on where the car was towed from so i can't comment on the responsibility of anyone on that matter. rad, gainesville towing companies are notorious for scams. it has been an issue for more than a decade in gainesville. they like to hide the "roam towing" signs, they like to add illegal charges and they like to refuse tender of acceptable forms of payment.

city ordinances were recently amended re:towing to help manage the problems so hopefully it will get better. the point of all this is that it's impossible for any of us to know if the car was towed rightfully or wrongfully. getting towed in gainesville is like a rite of passage for students anyway. people shouldn't be judged simply because their car was towed, IMO.

rad, how do you know she asked Joiner to do something about it?

What a dumbass. That pisses me off.

I think he'll play Saturday but that's just a guess (i think it depends on many factors i can't calculate). We'll have to see how Meyer decides to handle it.

He still isn't out of jail yet! I hope he plays. I'm sorry, I know this is a dumb mistake for Tony. But I also think charging him with a felony is dumb. I bet his girlfriend told him to do it!

found this on Florida Today:

Florida senior captain Tony Joiner was arrested early Tuesday for removing his girlfriend's car from the property of Watson's Towing in Gainesville but the property owner is upset he was detained and says the whole thing was a misunderstanding more than a crime.

Stan Forron told Florida Today that Joiner had actually talked to the dispatcher who was working early Tuesday morning and had made arrangements to pick up the car. The employee left to get some food and the gate to the company was left open. Joiner showed up to pay the $76 towing bill, waited for some time and got impatient and decided to go ahead and take the car and worry about the bill later.

But another employee noticed the car being removed and called the police. A worker at Watson's Towing told the Gainesville Police not to charge Joiner, that the company just wanted the money Joiner was supposed to pay. Instead, he was arrested.

Forron said he has had as many as 30 cars removed from his towing business over the last 20 years and never seen anyone arrested and charged with burglary.

"Fifteen to 30 people a year steal their car out of the yard,'' Forron said. "I've got one pending right now where the girl stole the car out the yard and the police department didn't do anything to her. They didn't make her pay.''

Forron said he did not condone what Joiner did.

"I don't think (Gator athletes) should be treated any differently, better or worse,'' he said. "The towing company just wants their money, not anything else. This kid should not have been arrested for what he did. To me, that's just crazy.''

Forron said he was preparing to go out of town so he was at the towing company early Tuesday morning and left the gate unlocked when he left. Around 4:30 a.m., Joiner was spotted removing the car and stopped by an employee.

According to GPD Lt. Keith Kameg, the Gainesville Police responded to a call at Watson's Towing at 4:30 a.m.

"He did not have permission to enter,'' Kameg said. "When you attempt to move a car that is impounded it's burglary.''

Florida plays at No. 1 LSU at 8:28 p.m. Saturday in a game which could have a major impact on the SEC and national title picture. Joiner was a calming factor in a defensive secondary which has struggled all season against the pass.

On Monday, UF quarterback Tim Tebow and Joiner's roommate spoke glowingly about the importance of the safety to the team.

"He gave us a spark in the Auburn game and he does a great job every week of getting us ready to play. He's just one of our big leaders that's more outspoken but he'll talk and try to get guys fired up,'' Tebow said.

One legal expert contact by Florida Today familiar with the situation questioned whether Joiner will actually be charged by the State Attorney's Office for a crime as serious as burglary. The gate was left open and he did not enter the building on the property, only removed the car.

The proper charge may more likely be trespassing, which is a misdemeanor. Burglary would be a felony.

State Attorney Bill Cervone said he couldn't predict for sure when he would actually get the paperwork from GPD and make a decision on charges but it could be before the end of the week.

According to the GPD arrest report obtained by Florida Today, arresting Officer Robert Concannon wrote: "According to witnesses, the defendant did commit a burglary by forcibly (pushing an electric gate open) entering a fenced compond with the intent to commit an offense therein. The compound was not open to the public and the defendant was not licensed or invited to enter.''

The statement also reads that Joiner was attempting to pull the gate shut when he was stopped by a witness. Joiner then drove the car back inside the gate and waited for the police to arrive.''

The GPD arrest report also states that Joiner was talking on a cell phone when Concannon arrived and said, "I am probably about to go to jail 'cuz I did push the gate open.''

Joiner also told Concannon on the way to jail that he intended to pay the bill but got impatient.

As far as Forron is concerned, he's angry Joiner ended up arrested.

"What he did was wrong,'' Forron said. "We're not saying he's an angel and shouldn't pay. But why all of a sudden is he being arrested for something that happened numerous times throughout the years and nobody else has been arrested?''

Florida coach Urban Meyer has not commented on the issue yet.
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David Jones, University of Florida beat writer, FLORIDA TODAY