Florida Gators freshman receivers involved in BB gun incident get charges reduced to misdemeanors

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Image Credit: The Alligator

Florida Gators freshman wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells had charges stemming from their BB gun incident before the season reduced on Tuesday.

State Attorney Bill Cervone told the Orlando Sentinel‘s Edgar Thompson that Cleveland and Wells now face first-degree misdemeanors instead of the dual felonies they originally had on their sheets.

The charges were reduced after it was determined that the property damage was less than $1,000. Cleveland and Wells were first charged with a second-degree felony for firing a missile into a dwelling and a third-degree felony for property damage in excess of $1,000.

Explaining his decision to reduce the charges to something more appropriate, Cervone told the Orlando Sentinel that it was “impossible to say who literally did what piece of damage,” though he thought the initial felony charges were fair given the circumstance.

Cleveland and Wells, who were reinstated from their one-game suspension by head football coach Jim McElwain on Monday, are not expected to receive any serious punishment. They will likely pay for the damage, take part in community service and be put on probation.