The Tribune

STEPHEN Newbold’s lawyer hopes charges against the Bahamian sprinter will be dropped after his co-accused Josh Mance was cleared this week.

The 18-year-old CARIFTA competitor may also learn today what his future holds with the Florida State University track team.

Newbold’s attorney, Joshua Zelman, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper he and Newbold were hoping the Florida state attorney’s office will hand a “no information” notice to them.

On Tuesday the state office submitted the notice to Josh Mance’s attorneys, officially dropping the charges of resisting arrest without violence and possession of a fake identification.

Mance and Newbold were arrested in the early-morning hours of March 21, following an incident involving a gun at an off-campus apartment complex in Tallahassee.

According to a police probable cause report, the pair were arrested after two gunshots went off at the Campus Walk Apartments around 3.30 am.

The report said that Mance, 21, and Newbold were part of a group of five men who were spotted by a police officer at the complex shortly after a witness told the officer they had heard the gunshots.

The officer discovered the men standing near the pool area, and as he ordered each of them to the ground, Newbold ran, to be caught 15 minutes later at a dog track.

A witness told police Newbold had fired the gun. He was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm and resisting arrest without violence.

Newbold and his lawyer are disputing the report’s claims. His case is still pending.

Zelman believes that evidence he and his office has obtained will prove Newbold’s innocence.

FSU officials are scheduled to meet with Newbold today to discuss what his future may be.

Like Mance, Newbold had been suspended from the FSU team because of the pending investigation into their charges. Until this week, Newbold hadn’t been allowed to be on campus and attend classes.

His suspension still requires him to stay away from the track team.

FSU rules regarding athletes mean that Mance has been able to return to the track team, now that charges have been dropped.

Newbold was bailed to return to court later in April - which allowed him to take part in the CARIFTA Games.

Newbold won two medals, an individual bronze in the under-20 boys’ 400m, and he ran the third leg in the under-20 boys’ 4x400m for their silver medal finish.