ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
James Crawford, a Virginia Tech football player, pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of disorderly conduct in public for his part in a Nov. 27, 1995, incident at a Blacksburg service station.
Crawford, 19, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., was fined $1,000 by a Blacksburg General District Court judge, with $600 of the fine suspended. Crawford also received a 10-day jail sentence, all of which was suspended.
The original charge of felony hit-and-run with injury brought against Crawford was reduced to disorderly conduct after all parties involved agreed it did not accurately reflect what happened.
The incident occurred when Crawford tried to pick up his Mercedes sedan after it had been towed by Tech Campus Police for a number of unpaid parking tickets. Crawford got into his car at the service station and struck an unidentified employee twice with the vehicle, according to police reports.
``The young lady who was struck was not hurt and she said as much,'' said Joe Painter, Crawford's attorney. ``She has no bruises, she never fell down. She said, `I don't think he was trying to hurt me,' and [the commonwealth's attorney] took that into consideration.''
A separate charge of fraud against Crawford was dropped at the request of the ownership of the service station, which confirmed Crawford had paid his towing and impoundment bill.
Crawford, a seldom-used receiver, was suspended from the Tech football team by coach Frank Beamer after the incident and didn't make the trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans with the Hokies.
Crawford is one of two Tech football players involved in a civil suit filed by former Tech student Christy Brzonkala, who alleges she was raped by Crawford and linebacker Tony Morrison. Beamer also suspended Morrison after an unrelated incident.
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