Angolan winger Sílvio de Sousa is due to appear next December 17 for the first hearing in the Douglas County District Court, United States of America, where he will be formally charged with serious assault after an incident on New Year’s Eve. , reported the website “LJ World”, last Thursday
In January of this year, the 22-year-old, 2.06 meters, was involved in a fight outside a bar, according to the indictment document that the publication had access to. The athlete can be accused of “serious aggression, level 5 or medium serious crime”, as shown in the online records.
The deed states that Sousa “in an illegal, criminal and reckless manner caused major bodily harm or disfigurement to another person”. The alleged incident was reported to the Lawrence police as an assault that occurred at 2:36 am on January 1, at 1100 block of Massachusetts Street, according to department records.
In response to an email sent by “LJ World” about the episode, Lawrence Police Department spokesman Patrick Compton said an individual approached an officer at a local hospital, claiming to have been involved in a fight outside a bar at that address that morning. “The officer was already in the hospital for an unrelated reason,” said Compton.
The unidentified individual was received at the hospital with injuries sustained during the fight, according to the person responsible for the communication of that police department.
For his part, Kansas coach Bill Self asked to make a statement on the case, revealed that the promising player came to look for him, and revealed that he had been contacted in April by local authorities about his alleged involvement in a fight in new Year’s Eve.
“He was not aware of the details of that incident until a few weeks ago. This complaint surprised Silvio, as well as me. After we discussed the details, he decided that it was in his interest to cancel participation at the present time and concentrate on that subject. We mutually agreed that it was the best decision and we supported it, ”he said.
Douglas County District Attorney Dorothy Kliem, a trial assistant, asked about the schedule for the police department’s investigation, said there are a number of witnesses to interview and video surveillance cameras to collect and review.
“The limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have contributed to the duration of the investigation,” he said.
Sílvio de Sousa can be sentenced to three years probation to a maximum of 11 years and 4 months in prison, depending on the criminal record, according to Kansas sentencing statutes.
Speaking to Jornal de Angola, Radio Cinco basketball commentator Júlio Pinto “Viló” considered the player’s current situation to be “critical” since the Angolan international is also at risk of being deported.
“There is a need to appeal to Angolan sports diplomacy, fundamentally, to the Angolan Basketball Federation, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Angolan Olympic Committee, in order to get a defense lawyer and prevent a more serious sentence,” he defended.
The analyst leaves an alert for the candidate who will assume the highest chair of the governing body for the creation of a monitoring program for all promising players to evolve in different international competitions, with “very hard” realities.
