Eastern Mich. Makes Decision on Emoni Bates Amid Gun Charges, per Report

The 18-year-old was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm.

Eastern Michigan has suspended newly transferred star wing Emoni Bates, who is facing two felony gun charges, from practices and games until his legal proceedings are resolved, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported Monday.

Bates was arrested Sunday in a routine traffic stop after officers found a gun in the vehicle he was driving. A Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told Sports Illustrated that the 18-year-old was pulled over by police after he failed to stop at the intersection of Nottingham and Clark roads. 

The Eagles wing was arraigned at 1 p.m. Monday in Washtenaw County court, and the judge agreed to a non-monetary personal recognizance bond for Bates to be immediately released from jail, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Per online court records, Bates is charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm. Both charges are felonies.

Bates’s lawyer, Steve Haney, told Thamel to “reserve judgment on this. There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car.”

Haney entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Bates Monday. The next court date will take place on Oct. 6.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.