Michigan lineman Mazi Smith gets probation in gun case

Published Jan. 12, 2023 9:29 p.m. ET

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith was sentenced to 12 months of probation on Thursday for a misdemeanor charge of possessing a gun in his pickup truck without a concealed-weapon permit.

Washtenaw County Judge Karen Valvo also sentenced Smith to 40 hours of community service and ordered him to retake concealed pistol license training. He also must pay $600 for fines and costs, plus $360 in probation oversight fees.

Smith’s record will be scrubbed clean if stays out of trouble during probation.

Smith, a first team all-Big Ten selection who has declared for the NFL draft, was stopped Oct. 7 and arrested for possessing a Glock 19 and loaded magazines without a valid concealed pistol license, Ann Arbor police said.

Smith originally faced a felony weapons charge, but pleaded down to the misdemeanor in December, court records state.

Smith’s attorney, John Shea, confirmed the sentencing occurred, but did not provide further comment.

Smith said he was days away from legally obtaining a concealed pistol license when he was pulled over, according to comments made in a media availability before the Fiesta Bowl.

“I had my certificate and I meant to turn it in a couple days before I got pulled over,” Smith said during the availability. “I had to reschedule for the Wednesday the week after. So, I was like four days away from turning in my certificate.”

The same prosecutor’s office struck a deal with Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates, who was arrested and similarly charged in September with carrying a concealed weapon in a car. Bates settled the matter with a misdemeanor. He said it was not his car or gun.

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