OLB Dahman McKinnon on indefinite suspension after December hit-and-run arrest
Virginia Tech redshirt freshman linebacker Dahman McKinnon has been on an indefinite suspension from the football program since Dec. 30, when he was arrested for failure to stop after a traffic accident.
Because the accident involved over $1,000 in damage, leaving the scene is a Class 5 felony under Virginia law, prompting an automatic suspension from the team.
University Policy 1035 states that any Virginia Tech student-athlete charged with a felony must be indefinitely suspended until the case is dropped, dismissed or resolved. A felony conviction would result in a permanent dismissal. If the charge is reduced, any reinstatement would be up to athletic director Jim Weaver.
“It happened there on South Main St.,” said Jimmy Turk, McKinnon’s lawyer. “He drove a short distance from where the accident happened, parked his car and called his mother to ask what he should do. Then the police came and charged him with felony hit and run because he apparently did not stop right at the scene of the accident.”
According to online court records, McKinnon, 19, was also charged with operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a misdemeanor, and cited for two infractions — failure to obtain a registration/title and failure to obey a traffic signal.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound outside linebacker from Hope Mills, N.C., redshirted last season but was expected to compete for reps this spring following the departure of seniors Alonzo Tweedy and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. Rising sophomore Ronny Vandyke is expected to start atop the depth chart at whip linebacker.
McKinnon has a March 7 preliminary hearing in Montgomery County General District Court in Christiansburg.
January 28, 2013 - 1:41 PM
Sounds like a kid in a stressful situation who didn’t know what to do. Felony charge seems over the top.
Based on the wording of the article, I’m leaning toward agreeing with post #1. But I’d want to know how far a short distance is and did he return promptly to the scene on his own? How cooperative was he when he returned? If the police had to come to him instead, then I’d lean more towards the felony charge.
“Kid” needs to know what to do!! Going down the road and stopping to call his mom shows how dependent folks are on someone else to tell them everything. No excuse. No insurance, registration/title and failure to obey a traffic signal…. appears he should have called his mom to tell him he needed insurance, registration, and, oh yes, be sure to obey a traffic signal. Does he realy believe he can hit another vehicle and not stop immediately??!! Really??!! Learn these things BEFORE you enter college! Then again, Jimmy Turk is always there to pat you on the shoulder and tell you what a good “kid” you are. Hopefully, no one was hurt.
And that’s why cases are investigated and not tried based on public opinion. Lord knows I’ve done dumb in reverse, before, so I can’t criticize the kid. When I was in the Pep Band during Tech’s first year in the A-10, I was leaving the UMass game and another student hit me in the parking lot. I got his insurance information, name, and phone number but we never contacted the police. Let’s just say I ended up paying for the accident out of my own pocket.
I remember last week a few of friends who happen to be Hokie fans were saying how UVA should pull the scholarship of that recruit who was arrested for underage drinking. They brought up how he kicked at a car, well I hadn’t heard about this Hokie and his hit and run. To me hit and run is far more serious than kicking at a car, I guess I will have to go talk to my friends and ask if this guy should be kicked out of school just for being charged funny how some Hokie fans are hypocrites.
catsmeow just has it all figured out… Maybe he pulled a block forward because he didn’t want to block traffic. Maybe he had never been in a car accident before and didn’t know how to react. Maybe the physiological response from getting into a car accident caused him to panic and stop thinking clearly. There is no criminal intent here. A little empathy can go a long way…
Who knows if his lawyer is minimizing it, but at 19 you don’t a thing about a thing. I’ve told my kids 50 times what to do in case of an accident, but if they’re involved in an accident they’ll reach out to their parents for advice regardless. An accident is a scary and nerve racking event. At 19 he’s not paying for his own insurance either, his parents possibly let him down or didn’t have the money to pay and neglected to let him know. He wasn’t drunk, he did stop albeit down the road a piece and nobody got hurt – give him a break.
Jimmy Turk to the rescue.
Again.
When will the players learn? Playing for Virginia Tech football, earning scholarships, and even being on the team is a privelge, not a right.
Y’all are rough on some people. He made a mistake. He stopped, it’s not like he lead the police on a hot pursuit through Blacksburg!
Come on people. We have all made mistakes!
Too bad. Some young people have good things (scholarships) handed to them and they just don’t know how to handle it. Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson and can go on from here.
Always have to remember that these are just kids (including the UVA recruit, HH) and are prone to making poor decisions. They are usually given a 2nd chance as they should be. After that, in my opinion, they should know better.
Is it true that Jimmy Turk has just ordered one of these in orange and maroon trim?
http://www.rangerboats.com/models.cfm?gid=5&mid=6829
If it was only a short distance then what an overreaction by the cops. I hope they choke on their doughnuts.
Hokie hater – I heard he was drunk as heck and it was multiple cars. But hey I like how you spun it that was neat
What is wrong with you all?
1. Hokie Hater- was there any mention that he was drunk in the middle of the road chasing cars like a dog? No. Irrelevance.
2. Trevor- how many other lawyers do you know in Blacksburg? If I need to consult a lawyer who understood implications relative to college athletics, then Mr. Turk probably would be the first choice. Has your insurance ever lapsed or did you not make a payment on time? Common sense says move the vehicle out of the street, and $1000 is probably still a dented fender.
If you have no idea what you’re talking about keep the accusatory comments to yourself.
All of your people asking for forgiveness. How would you feel if you were the victim? Just wondering if you would be as generous
Garman- what victim? He was charged for the accident.
Mike, believe it or not, but I speak from personal experience that I was once charged with failure to obtain an insurance because I allowed it to lapsed and didn’t bother getting one until someone backed into me.
My comment about Jimmy Turk was sarcasm, sorry you couldn’t see that, because it always seem that whenever an athlete from Virginia Tech gets charged, he is their attorney.
It is better to stay put and not move the vehicle until the police officer directs you to, that is why he is being charged with hit and run, even though it was a mere block away. I was charged with causing an accident because I was following too close. It was in the middle of a busy town and everybody had to move around me. I did not move my car, and nobody were allowed to move their cars that were in the accident until the police officer directed us to do so (my car had to be towed due to extensive damage to the front bumper).
Here’s the link to the code of Virginia about hit and run.
Some more information on Hit and Run.
Mike, here’s another link for you to read, and probably explains the Class 5 Felony better than the previous link – http://jtbrownlaw.com/traffic/hit-run-virginia.html.
All these links basically say the same thing: STAY PUT!
If he had stay put, he would have been in more trouble with DMV than with the court due to his violation of having no insurance, and I’m speaking from personal experience, so I know what I am talking about.
Sometime, Mike, you should let people discuss what they are saying, and they might be speaking from experience. So keep the accusatory statements to yourself.
Jerry I actually think this guy shouldn’t get into too much trouble over this he is young and no one got hurt. I was just pointing out how some Hokie fans (not all) jumped all over the UVA recruit for his actions, as well as Coach London for the “type” of players he was bringing in. Yet they seem to think when a Hokie gets into some trouble it is completely fine, that is the definition of a hypocrite.
And speaking from experience, when I was 17 I was in an accident in downtown Lexington I got side swiped and didn’t even know what had happend. I drove for about a block parked and got out to see if there was damage to my car, there was so I turned around and went back. When u finally made contact with the other party they had already called the police, when the officer arrived I told him what had happend and about me going a block and coming back. He informed me that he could charge me with leaving the scene of an accident but said since I didn’t go far he understood and let it go. Seems as though the Blacksburg police should have probably did the same.
Hopefully this guy as well as the UVA recruit learn something from their run ins with the law and never have another incident.
Trevor, believe it or not- I speak from experience. I was the guy you hit!
Actually, I was hit by a mini van driven by two girls yapping to each other, not paying attention. I drove my car as best as possible down the road to get it out of the way and the got out my med kit and provided aid bc tjey werent wearing seatbelts when they hit me. You know what, neither my accident nor yours has any bearing on the situation here. You weren’t there! Stop telling everyone else what the facts were in this players’ accident and go pay your insurance! You’re as bad as crooked road!!
This is so simple: If this young man doesn’t know the driving laws in this state or any other, he shouldn’t be allowed to drive in the first place, regardless of his age. Do the crime, pay the time. Quit soliciting sympathy on him b/c he is a VT football player. Not to worry though, it’s Plea-Bargain Turk to the rescue again. You people will see him suited up this fall, no doubt.
Bobcat,
Do you know EVERY traffic law in Virginia’s code? Heck, do you know EVERY law in the Commonwealth of Virginia? If not, then you shouldn’t be living in Virginia and driving on Virginia’s highways.
See what I did, there?
I have never seen so many self righteous and ” I have never made a mistake or used poor judgement in my life” people. You all should apply for sainthood. No one even knows all the facts of either case.
Dahman isn’t even from the state of Virginia, maybe he doesn’t know every single driving law in the state. Do you? I doubt you do. And for the insurance part, he is a 19 year old MAN without a job and i am sure he does not pay for his own insurance. That part could always be a parental mistake. This incident is being taken way out of proportion. Reinstate him to the team and make him pay the fines. It was clearly not a hit and run for the police did not chase him through Blacksburg.
#22: I know enough about the VA state laws that if involved in an accident, you don’t leave the scene, regardless of the distance, until someone in authority tells you to. I don’t care if he is 17 or 79, simply common sense.
See what I did there?
I guess I didn’t hit you hard enough, Mile.
If you had I will still overlook your crappy driving and get out and bandage YOU up, just like those silly little girls that shouldn’t have been issued DLs until they were at least 21. Hey they bought me a new car.
nice insight, MIKE, sounds like you been there…duh duh. Nice to breathe some fresh air for a change.