Kevin Parks Ponders Filing Racial Profiling Suit Against North Carolina (DWB)

N.C. High School Football Player Challenges Arrest, Considers Filing Civil Rights Lawsuit Against N.C.


A Black N.C. Star High School Football player is challenging the charges against him, stemming from a run-in with N.C. deputies that ended up with the player being stunned with a Taser.

West Rowan High School running back Kevin Parks and his attorney, Ken Harris, are also conducting their own investigation into what happened.

They're hoping to find answers to what they say are several unanswered questions and see whether their findings constitute enough to proceed with a civil lawsuit.

Parks, who goes by KP, never met an end zone he couldn't reach in a flash while running over defenders.

"59 touchdowns this year," he said.

That's just one of his many football records.

Others include being named to the 2010 Parade All-American Team as well as the Old Spice Red Zone National Player of the Year. That prowess earned Parks a football scholarship to Virginia.

But it's another record Parks is fighting, which includes accusations of improper passing, following too closely and resisting a public officer.

"I was feeling like -- is this really happening right now?" Parks said, referring to an incident two weeks ago in Davie County.

"This day started with him traveling to see a friend. It ended up with him Tased and unconscious," said Harris.

Investigators say Parks was driving too closely to an off-duty trooper, who was on his motorcycle with his wife, and then Parks passed the motorcycle in a no-passing zone on Highway 601 in Davie County.

Plus, police say Parks' car was weaving and the trooper suspected impairment.

That trooper followed Parks until he stopped. Help arrived to take Parks into custody. Investigators say that's when an argument ensued and Parks was stunned with a Taser.

Parks isn't talking about the arrest, but Harris says there are plenty of questions his investigation hopes to answer.

"Whether or not Mr. Parks should have been stopped in the first place, whether or not he engaged in any traffic violation to begin with, whether or not he should have been restrained, whether or not he should have been arrested, whether or not he should have been Tased," Harris said.

Harris says other issues includes Parks' Taser injury and when the off-duty, non-uniformed officer flashed a badge.

"Is it shown 8 miles after you follow someone?" Harris said. "The mere showing of a badge doesn't give you license to do whatever you want to do."

Since Parks' arrest, investigators now say Parks was not impaired, even though that's what they suspected.

Parks hasn't filed a civil suit, but Harris says that could change depending upon what their investigation finds.

Highway Patrol officials say the trooper was doing his job -- on or off duty -- and did what he felt was right.

They also say Parks likely is an outstanding young man, but in their words, they "arrest outstanding young men all the time."


View Larger Map


Sources: WCNC, Google Maps

Tiger Woods Cited For Driving Violation...Woes Continue To Mount

Tiger Woods' Neighbor's Attorney speaks out about the 9-1-1 Call.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=873b6985-04da-46bb-ae5f-8bc9ba53fd1f&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Tiger&#39;s tale continues">Video: Tiger&#39;s tale continues</a>


Tiger Woods' Neighbor calls 9-1-1

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=6d0c8884-fa8b-4cdc-b2c8-1dc91003bee5&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Tiger&#39;s neighbor calls 911">Video: Tiger&#39;s neighbor calls 911</a>






Police: Tiger Woods at fault in crash, will get Citation



Tiger Woods will be cited for careless driving in a car crash outside his Orlando-area mansion, but will not face criminal charges, the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

Woods faces a $164 fine and four points against his driver's license, not close to enough to have it suspended. The citation closes the investigation of last week's crash.

The patrol "is not pursuing criminal charges in this matter nor is there any testimony or other evidence to support any additional charges of any kind other than the charge of careless driving," Sgt. Kim Montes said.

According to an accident report, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree at 2:25 a.m. Friday. The airbags did not deploy and Woods' wife told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help him out.

Woods withdrew Monday from his own golf tournament, citing injuries from the crash.

Since the accident, tabloids and gossip Web sites have fueled speculation about the events leading up to it, including that there may have been a domestic dispute between Woods and his wife.

The crash came two days after The National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denies the affair.

An attorney for the neighbors who dialed 911 after the crash said Woods did not appear to be driving under the influence and showed no signs of having been in a fight. Montes said there were no claims of domestic violence and insufficient evidence to subpoena any medical information.

"Despite the celebrity status of Mr. Woods, the Florida Highway Patrol has completed its investigation in the same professional manner it strives to complete each traffic investigation," Montes said.

Bill Sharpe, an attorney for the neighbors, said Woods' injuries were "consistent with a car wreck and inconsistent with him being beat up. The scratches on his face were consistent with someone who maybe was in a minor car accident and hit his head on the windshield. ... None of his injuries looked like he was beat up by his wife."

Sharpe said neighbor Linda Adams and her two adult sons went outside their home in the exclusive gated community of Isleworth after hearing the crash and Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, asked them to call the 911 emergency number.

He said the neighbors found Nordegren kneeling beside her husband, upset about his injuries. Sharpe said Woods appeared woozy and had scratches on his face and that his wife was trying to console him. The Adamses wrapped Woods in a blanket and made sure he didn't move.

Tabloid speculation has focused on whether Woods and his wife were fighting before the accident.

"One thing we want to make clear is that Mrs. Woods' attitude was consistent with her being concerned about her injured husband," Sharpe said. "Mrs. Woods was trying to help him. Mrs. Woods was worried about her husband. She was concerned."

Sharpe said the Adams family did not see the crash and did not see Woods' wife with a golf club. He said he was hired to get the message out that the Adams family members have told investigators everything they know about the crash and aren't hiding anything.

When healthy, he has made his season debut at Torrey Pines every year since 2006. The San Diego Invitational this year is scheduled the week of Jan. 25. That could mean Woods avoids the media for 10 weeks.

Neighbors in the exclusive Isleworth Community said Tuesday they did not know if Woods was home. There were no cars in his driveway as the highway patrol held its news conference, and there was little sign that any accident had taken place — the fire hydrant Woods struck had either been repaired or replaced. The grass was perfectly trimmed.

The complex's private security force patrolled the plush community in marked cars and golf carts, the primary source of transportation around Isleworth.




View Larger Map


Sources: TMZ, MSN, Fox Sports, Sports By Brooks, Yard Barker, WFTV, Google Maps