Dolphins RB Mark Walton reaches plea deal, won’t serve jail time after multiple arrests
Miami Dolphins running back Mark Walton reached a global plea deal with prosecutors on Monday stemming from three arrests in a three-month span earlier this year, according to the Miami Herald.
Walton, per the report, pleaded no contest to a felony gun possession charge, which was then reduced to open carrying of a weapon, a second-degree misdemeanor — which stemmed from a March 12 incident in Miami after police found marijuana and an illegally concealed weapon in the back seat of his car. After he was pulled over, Walton took off on foot and escaped police despite being tased, according to the Miami Herald.
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Walton also pled guilty to resisting arrest without violence and guilty to reckless driving. He will not serve any jail time, though he will serve six months of non-reporting administrative probation and have to take four hours of driving school, per the report.
Walton’s two misdemeanor marijuana charges and a misdemeanor battery charge were also dismissed as part of the deal. He has not been punished by the NFL, who is currently reviewing the incidents.
Walton ran for 34 yards on 14 carries last season with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. The former Miami Hurricanes standout was released by the Bengals in April, but signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in May.
“I think people deserve a second chance,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said in May after Walton’s tryout with the team, via the Palm Beach Post. “I believe that. I think that’s the case. I don’t want to judge people based on one incident. Two incidents. I think it’s a case by case situation for a player and for people in general. That’s kind of my stance.”
Walton has ran for 20 yards on 11 carries, the most on the team, and scored one touchdown for Miami this preseason.
Touchdown! Mark Walton! 🙌
📺 » @CBSMiami#ATLvsMIA #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/0rrTabuUZH— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 9, 2019
While a possible suspension may be looming, given his arrest record, Walton said he can’t focus on that. He just has to keep moving forward.
“I just go in the now,” Walton said earlier this month, via the Miami Herald. “You can’t go back in the past and say, ‘I wish I could remove this and do that.’ I’m more of a future guy, just moving on, so I think me working hard is just showing everybody what I can really do.”
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