John Wall Cited With Breaking and Entering (while hanging with Reggie Jackson!) [Updated 11:50am]

From WRAL: Prep basketball star John Wall, one of the nation’s top uncommitted prospects, was cited with breaking and entering.

Authorities said Wall, 18, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering in connection with an April 27 break-in at a home at 3924 Laurel Glen Drive in Raleigh.

An officer saw Wall leaving from the rear of the residence and was able to detain him, police said. Police said there was no forced entry at the residence and no indication that anything was taken from it.

Kudos to 850TheBuzz for keeping this non event of a story in perspective. A reader posted the following (paraphrased) in our comments section.

On 850AM they were saying that the house was vacant and foreclosed upon. Kind of like hanging out in a house under construction. They were also blasting WRAL for not doing their homework. It took 10 seconds to find the house is owned by a bank on the Wake County Estate site.

Here is what SFN has heard through our Raleigh grapevine – Wall went to this abandoned house to hook up with the girl. Cops saw them leaving the house and they gave him a ticket. That is why there was no forced entry (to the house). Don’t know how true it is; but, we will see what we can find out.

If this is true…it only serves to RAISE my opinion of Wall. He’s red-blooded teenager who was smart enough to find somewhere private to do his business? Give the guy a medal for his productive use of available real estate in today’s bad economy and for being smart enough not to roll the dice in some uncomfortable parked car where he could have gotten busted for more. That is about 100 times smarter than I behaved in high school.

Now, if NC State is really smart we will go make this girl a ‘Stately Lady’ before the day is over. Where is Quinton Jackson when you need him?

For a little more fun…I couldn’t resist the “Reggie Jackson” angle here.

Two other people were also charged in the April 27 crime. Bria Renea Draughn, 16, was detained while walking along a nearby street. Reginald Leonard Jackson II, 17, was detained when he returned to the residence, police said.

Tim Stevens had a feature article on Wall in Sunday’s newspaper that has been picked up by websites in Kentucky, Kansas and other college basketball hotbeds linked to Wall. I found irony in a newspaper printing an article written in part about how an over-exposed kid doesn’t like to be over-exposed.

The attention baffles Wall.

“I’m just a kid,” he said.

His recruiting process has been filled with twists and rumors, most of which he has no control over and some of which have been mean-spirited and cruel.

Here are a few rumors and Wall’s response…

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77 Responses to John Wall Cited With Breaking and Entering (while hanging with Reggie Jackson!) [Updated 11:50am]

  1. packbackr04 05/04/2009 at 12:10 PM #

    so why did Reggie Jackson have to go back to the house?

  2. ChuckAllYall 05/04/2009 at 12:14 PM #

    What are you guys hearing about DeShawn Painter?

  3. GAWolf 05/04/2009 at 12:18 PM #

    Highstick: With all due respect, I’m going to assume you are not familiar with how most police officers operate these days. The days of cops going up to college students and saying “pour out the booze and leave the party” or “I smell a little booze on your breath, son, you should call someone to pick you up and leave your car here” are long gone. Most, perhaps not all, but most cops today see their professional obligation as being to charge all the people they come across with all the offenses they can. That’s not so much a jab at the character of an individual officer as it is a jab at the law enforcement dominated society within which we now live in addition to the concept of law enforcement and criminal corrections as being big business. The number one expense on most states’ budgets today is law enforcement and criminal correction.

    Joe Cheshire (of Duke Lacrosse fame) wrote a great article recently in our North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formally NCTLA) magazine about the incredible cycle of increased “crime rates” due to increased charges which justify increased crime rates which in turn justifies the hiring of more law enforcement which in turn gets us back to more increased, and duplicitous charges… which raises the crime rate… legislature approves more law enforcement spending… ad nauseum.

    A specific example is a guy charged with Driving While License Revoked ten years ago is now charged with DWLR, Possessing a Revoked License, Displaying a Revoked License, Speeding, Fictitious Registration, and Inspection Violation. With this one guy our crime rate has increased 6 times over.

    Another example is the guy who was charged with Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana 30 years ago. He is now charged with Misd Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (the rolling paper/bong/coke can with holes tapped in it), perhaps Misdemeanor Maintaining a Dwelling, etc.

    You can easily see how a change in societal and government ideals has turned one crime into many.

    I wish I could give you the article. It’s very well-written and revealing. And honestly, unless you’re a part of the guts of the criminal justice system you should have no reason to be aware of this.

    In short, I seriously doubt a cop who pulls a college athlete over who is underage and has alcohol on his breath, however slight, is going to cut him the slack of not arresting him/her. One: Few cops operate under the guise of the “good old boy system” of old (a Chapel Hill cop feels obligated to “protect one of their own”). And two: I’m guessing few cops would know who Ty Lawson is. (I’m not saying all cops around this area are ignorant to sports, but many of our cops here in Raleigh are from up North and they move here for a good quality of life, increased pay, less bullets whizzing by their heads and frankly not for UNC basketball.)

  4. anti-smurf 05/04/2009 at 1:03 PM #

    GAWolf – I know exactly what you mean. I have a relative that is a police office in NC. he often tells me stories of his stops and the countless charges they come up with. He even told me once that a guy was basically mouthing off to him, so he went back to his car, pulled out whatever “rule” book they have, and he made it his goal to find as many things as he could charge him with. he had political signs lying loose in the backseat – ticketed for “failure to secure a load”. Got him for not having enough tire tread, etc etc.

    Just because the guy ticked him off. Cops get off on that. Then the sit in their patrol cars and laugh their butts off!

    Don’t take this the wrong way – they do a lot of good, and I have a great deal of respect for anyone that puts themselves in harms way day in and day out. he has helped a lot people and saved lives. For that I’m extremely proud! But don’t mess with cops when they’re in foul moods.

  5. Sw0rdf1sh 05/04/2009 at 1:09 PM #

    When I was 17 I snuck into a house that was for sale to hook up with a girl.

    I’m sure glad I didn’t get charged with breaking and entering….it was consensual.

  6. Noah 05/04/2009 at 1:11 PM #

    Ha!

    You came to State…so you’re just a red-blooded, horny guy. John Wall is going to Kentucky…so he’s a witch! BURN HIM!

  7. hoop 05/04/2009 at 1:12 PM #

    SFN, you guys are going way out of your way to defend a guy who probably isn’t coming here. Who cares who owns the damn house? He was arrested, however right or wrong, and that is news.

    SFN: What does it matter who he plays for?…we’re not ‘defending him’. We’re defending common sense. Common sense is not biased. To this point, it would appear to be common-sensical to conclude that this is a pretty irrelevant story in the scheme of the world.

    A teenager was given a ticket – not arrested – for being in a foreclosed house that evidently was open. (So…it is hard to ‘break in’ when the door is unlocked).

    Whoopie sh*t! Who cares? I went through a one month period when I was 23 where I got cited three times in a friggin month. I certainly would want COMMON SENSE to be used when discussing me, regardless of what school I attend.

  8. Girlfriend in a Coma 05/04/2009 at 1:26 PM #

    So, if he weighs more than a duck, then he’s made of wood.

  9. bradleyb123 05/04/2009 at 1:27 PM #

    SFN, you guys are going way out of your way to defend a guy who probably isn’t coming here. Who cares who owns the damn house? He was arrested, however right or wrong, and that is news.

    Actually, he wasn’t arrested. He was cited. He wasn’t arrested any more than I was arrested the last time I got a speeding ticket.

    And we’re only supposed to defend someone in John’s position if he’s an NC State commit? That smacks of bias and partisanship! I actually think this is a non-issue, based on what I’ve heard about it so far. He made a dumb mistake, yes. But I don’t think he had malicious intentions, like to steal, or vandalize the place.

    If this was just a kid from Podunkville, NC, it wouldn’t even be a story. It’s only a story because of who he is.

  10. hoop 05/04/2009 at 1:36 PM #

    Oh, I see (not being sarcastic). Not being arrested is a big difference.

  11. Zen Wolf 05/04/2009 at 1:39 PM #

    I think It was John “Cougar” Mellencamp who said “You better stand clear when the Wall comes tumblin down.”

    Wouldn’t you think he could get away from the Cop using his cross over to break the guys ankles.

  12. LKNpackfan 05/04/2009 at 2:06 PM #

    GA, I just remembered that he was arrested and had a bleary-eyed mugshot taken, but you’re right about Lawson’s official charge.

    The trespassing comment was tongue-in-cheek.

  13. gopack968 05/04/2009 at 2:41 PM #

    This whole house/police thing is a side issue.

    The real question: Does anyone know for certain that this kid has gotten a qualifying score on the SAT? If not, then his whole “I’m going to shorten my list on Tuesday…” confusing procrastination suddenly makes a lot more sense. It would also explain why UNC/RW has been so silent, despite needing a point guard.

  14. Thinkpack17 05/04/2009 at 2:43 PM #

    **Tried the contact SFN button…didn’t work. Why are all my comments being deleted. Is this a mistake?

  15. Texpack 05/04/2009 at 2:48 PM #

    Those of you who think this is no big deal obviously haven’t had to throw the used condoms in your unoccupied rent house away.

  16. Astral Rain 05/04/2009 at 3:01 PM #

    This wouldn’t even be worthy of a Fulmer Cup point. Non-issue, unless something else pops up.

    He’ll go before Judge Harry Stone, Bull will make some silly comment, and he’ll get $50 and time served.

  17. Noah 05/04/2009 at 3:27 PM #

    Dan Fielding would never push for a conviction!

  18. Noah 05/04/2009 at 3:29 PM #

    Those of you who think this is no big deal obviously haven’t had to throw the used condoms in your unoccupied rent house away.

    I’ve seen foreclosed homes get abused in far worse ways.

    Read the NYer article from about three weeks ago on the guy in LA who specializes in moving foreclosed homes. Squatters are inventive people.

  19. waxhaw 05/04/2009 at 3:43 PM #

    If there was no forced entry (i.e. the house was unlocked/open)….why wouldn’t it be trespassing as opposed to breaking and entering?

  20. Trip 05/04/2009 at 3:46 PM #

    Hahahaha, from the sounds of it… this is probably something that most of us could have been caught for. I’ve gone through abandoned houses before with a couple of buddies just because they’re ABANDONED, beat the hell up, and in Roxboro there isn’t shit else to do for fun. No need to break and enter when the door is torn off the hinges already. The places that I went in high school to get laid also could have gotten me in trouble, because you can’t do that shit at home when your mom doesn’t work. =P

    Hell, some of my buddies got cited for “Weapons of Mass Destruction” once because they made a shitty bomb out of aluminum foil, a 2 liter bottle and toilet cleaner in the middle of bumfuck and the neighbors (Who lived half a mile away) called in about a loud noise. The charges were dropped, since it was a harmless prank… but you can see how words can make it sound worse than it really is.

    It’s bad for public perception, and if I was in his position I probably would have held off on abandoned house sex for a couple of weeks until I graduated. But I’m fairly certain our presidents have been cited for worse.

  21. bradleyb123 05/04/2009 at 3:53 PM #

    If there was no forced entry (i.e. the house was unlocked/open)….why wouldn’t it be trespassing as opposed to breaking and entering?

    Legally, you don’t have to “break” anything for it to be breaking and entering.

    Definition

    “breaking and entering v., n. entering a residence or other enclosed property through the slightest amount of force (even pushing open a door), without authorization. If there is intent to commit a crime, this is burglary. If there is no such intent, the breaking and entering alone is probably at least illegal trespass, which is a misdemeanor crime.”

  22. GAWolf 05/04/2009 at 4:19 PM #

    From NC Crimes Book – Misdemeanor Breaking or Entering

    Statute See G.S. 14-54(b) and (c), reproduced under “Felonious Breaking or Entering of Building.”

    Elements A person guilty of this offense
    (1) breaks or enters
    (2) without consent
    (3) any building.

    Punishment Class 1 misdemeanor.

    Notes Generally. To constitute misdemeanor breaking or entering, a crime need not involve an intent to commit a felony (272 N.C. 515); all that is required is the breaking or entering of any building at any time of day, whether occupied or not. Thus misdemeanor breaking or entering is a lesser-included offense of felonious breaking or entering of building (264 N.C. 134). The “entering” must be without permission; it is not a crime to enter with permission to do so.
    Element (1). For definitions of “breaking” and “entering,” see the notes for Elements (1) and (2) under “First-Degree Burglary.”
    Element (2). See the notes for Element (3) under “First-Degree Burglary.”

    Related offenses not in this chapter
    See the offenses listed under “First-Degree Burglary.”

  23. GAWolf 05/04/2009 at 4:31 PM #

    “Drano bombs” in plastic bottles are pretty much harmless. The tin foil reacts with the chemicals in the toilet cleaner. The reaction gives off significant vapors that in turn create pressure within the sealed, plastic bottle. The bottle expands to it’s limits and “explodes”. It’s a giant noisemaker. It’s popping a balloon with too much breath on steroids essentially.

    But you are right. Weapons of Mass Destruction has become a very broad term. Potato guns also likely qualify as “WMDs” under the newest writing of the statute. Ridiculous.

  24. highstick 05/04/2009 at 6:51 PM #

    GaWolf, go to Clempson, give me the same scenario and he skates! And I say BS in Chapel Hill too!

    Go to Columbia, he gets the book thrown at him and probably Raleigh too. But remember, my comment was a “scenario”.

  25. MrPlywood 05/04/2009 at 7:42 PM #

    I think the story is relevant because it speaks to Wall’s maturity. I’m pretty sure that everyone here has made some missteps in their youth, but none of us (correct me if I’m wrong) were highly recruited athletes in the national spotlight. Evidently Wall and/or his handlers have quite the list of requirements for the institutions that desire his skills, so I think it would be behoove him to watch his step and exhibit a higher than normal level of behavior for a 17/18 year old. Those same institutions deserve at least that much respect. In the age of the interweb rumor and innuendo take on a life of their own.

    And regardless of what individual or what bank owned the house, it’s still private property. A year or so ago, a local (to me) house up for sale went up in flames after some kids got into an unlocked basement and proceeded to experiment with some flammable items. The house was a total loss, with damage to two neighboring houses. My own house under construction was vandalized more than once. So “hook up” or not, it still doesn’t make it right.

    BTW, Drano (lye) bombs create hydrogen gas and are extremely flammable and caustic. Just sayin’…

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