Update: Monday, July 11 – 6:55 p.m. ET
In a statement, Miami announced Monday evening that Mark Walton has been reinstated to the football team.
“Following today’s decision by the State Attorney’s Office to drop all charges against Mark Walton, and after addressing the matter with Mark, he has been reinstated to the football program.”
Original story: Monday, July 11 – 11:55 a.m. ET
Nearly three months after an arrest for DUI, the Florida state attorney’s office dropped the charges against Miami running back Mark Walton on Monday morning.
Walton, who was indefinitely suspended by the program following his April 23 arrest, was the Hurricanes’ No. 1 running back coming out of spring practice.
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Per the Sun Sentinel, police said Walton, 19, had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his mouth” and “watery and bloodshot” eyes. The running back, a police report said, failed a field sobriety test and blew a 0.059 and 0.060 on a Breathalyzer. The legal limit for a driver under the age of 21 in the state of Florida is 0.02. He was also charged for driving with a suspended license.
Walton was initially also accused of impersonating an officer and groping a woman, but charges for those allegations were not pursued.
Walton’s attorneys have been critical of Miami police throughout the case, saying it has taken far too long to determine whether or not Walton was guilty of DUI. Walton’s attorney Joey McCall also described a bizarre scenario – which he called a “warrantless and unauthorized sting operation” – to Miami-based reporter Andy Slater that allegedly led to the impersonation accusation.
SLATER SCOOP: All charges against Canes RB Mark Walton officially dropped. pic.twitter.com/2XqkG2jrYh
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) July 11, 2016
Walton’s attorneys, McCall said, could pursue “civil remedies for wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution” against Miami police and the state attorney’s office.
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Walton, a sophomore, totaled 1,054 all-purpose yards in 2015, including 450 rushing yards and 293 receiving yards. He also scored 10 touchdowns – nine on the ground and one through the air.
For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
