Kitna makes plea deal; felony charges dropped

Anything that smells of child pornography is pretty ugly IMHO. That being said, if all charges are dropped, he plea bargained and (his dad bailed his ass out- I'm assuming), I would vote get his large semi-disturbed ass back in the rotation. Stipulating he will suffer 'a Game of Thrones type of punishment' if caught again in with any associated materials.

He was/is better than anyone on the roster currently at QB. Just my two cents here. His arrest was one of the more disheartening and disturbing offenses in recent memory. I was so disappointed- as we all were.

I wonder if he could work his way back in?

I'm not trying to start a riot here, but curious what others think.

Go Gators.

 

No. Could you imagine the noise and distraction?

 

He’s banned from UF campus until 2025...

 

He will never live this down, right wrong or indifferent.

 

Sad story all around. I think if he hadn’t gotten in trouble he’d be the unquestioned starter, and that we’d be feeling much more optimistic about the season. He was really good from what I remember.

 

Forget that he plays football. Would this keep a student from getting accepted into UF?

 

No way in hell without much further explanation. A good friend of mine got a similar charge( sex offender), nothing to do with children. He was peeing in the alley behind the bar when a female cop rounded the corner. The female cop saw his donaker in public and he had to register. So sometimes an explanation could make a huge difference. I can’t imagine what this kids could be but so far I haven’t heard one.

 

If I was in some way innocent, I’d be screaming so from every rooftop.

 

You are usually a voice of reason, malscott. But in this case I think you are off base.
I feel bad for Kitna and hope he can get his life on track and be successful: on and off the football field. What he did was very serious and (I don’t pretend to know all the details), perverted. It will serve him and the University of Florida best if he goes elsewhere.

 

Does that mean when he’s the starting QB for Miami next season he won’t be able to play in Gainesville?

 

People tend to knock his performance because his good game came against Eastern Washington but he seemed to play with a natural fluid rhythm that many saw when Trask would get a chance here and there. Not to equate the two but he moved the offense in his limited chances.

With that said, there is no coming back from this in Gainesville. I don't sympathize with pedophiles but I also have no idea what the exact accusations are to begin with. Even If there is any chance the charges are not as severe as once believed, he would still need to change venues to have any chance at redemption. Not that you suggested that, moreso for Malscott. I mean it's not even a question.

 

In my opinion, since the state faced the possibility of losing a high profile case, against a very well-funded defense, the defense lawyer won the game of hardball/chicken and the result is a plea to two misdemeanors.

It's telling that he pleaded to just two counts instead of five.

Personally, I hope this young man gets the help he needs.

 

It sure sounds like a sweetheart of a plea deal, for the defendant.

“Two counts of disorderly conduct for breaching the peace each carry a maximum sentence of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. As a result of the plea agreement, five felony child pornography charges will be dropped.”

Either you’re in possession of child pornography, or you’re not, period. Considering all of the things the judge said early on, after seeing the affidavit, it sure appeared to be the former. Does everyone get offered this sort of “agreement”?

Ex-Florida QB Jalen Kitna reaches plea deal in child pornography case, will be charged with two misdemeanors

 

Evidently, the prosecutors either couldn't prove their case, or they didn't think what he did was very serious or perverted, because they dropped the felony charges, and let him plead to second degree misdemeanors of "breach of the peace" (whatever that means). What information do you have that they don't, given that you admit that you don't pretend to know all the details?

Felony charges of child pornography are taken very seriously by prosecutors in this state, and if the state felt that they had proof of his guilt on those felony charges, they wouldn't have let him plead to second degree misdemeanors.

Second degree misdemeanors are very minor offenses; while I don't know what the terms of his plea agreement are, most people charged with second degree misdemeanors qualify for pretrial diversion if they have no prior criminal record. With pretrial diversion, he would have been required to comply with certain conditions, fulfillment of which would have obligated the state to drop all charges against him.

Given what happened here, I think the most plausible explanation for this plea arrangement is that the State could not prove their case and knew it, but they used the threat of felony charges to leverage some plea deal given that they had arrested him and that arrest generated considerable extremely negative media coverage for Kitna. Had they taken him to trial and lost, it would not have looked good for them.

From Kitna's perspective, even if he was convinced of his innocence, going to trial on serious felony charges carried risk, and if he could eliminate that risk by agreeing to plead to a chicken scratch misdemeanor (breach of the peace), enter pretrial diversion, and have all charges dismissed, that would be a very smart play. Even if the state didn't offer pretrial diversion, a first offender wouldn't do jail time on a 2nd degree misdemeanor, and most likely only have to pay a fine.

One of the things I abhor about our country now is that in the media and on message boards you are guilty until proven innocent. If I remember correctly, Kitna cooperated with the police and told them exactly what he had done, which seemed stupid to me at the time. But if he hadn't done anything wrong, it wasn't stupid at all.

But the average person that read the initial media reports won't understand any of this; they will only remember what they read at the time, which means that Kitna will forever be dogged by this.

 

This might have been a better thread in Too Hot, which I don't frequent.

Yeah, the kid was showing promise in that last game; huge guy, strong arm and accurate. When he balled out in that one game (it was a lesser opponent-I might add) I thought he was a legitimate candidate for starter. I also believe he blew his whole career out the poop-shoot as well. I remember being repulsed, saddened, embarrassed for the University. I wondered how his parents must have felt.

Seeing, he now officially has nothing on his record, he has only been charged with misdemeanors, legally, that makes me think someone would take him. I seriously doubt Florida would ever consider it- that in itself would be embarrassing.

I mean we had a QB last year get kicked to the curb for saying the "N" word in a rap song, right? Something like that. The general compulsiveness associated with child pornography might never allow him a shot. I have kids, I have a daughter, the thought of any kid being exploited in any way makes most of our blood boil, it makes mine boil. The world isn't a big enough place if you mess with someone's kids I know...

Seeing football has always been a sport that is willing to 'look the other way' with a variety of high crimes and misdemeanors (Rapists, criminals, woman-beaters, gun toters, car stealers) I imagine someone might give him a shot. I assume the court of public opinion and principle might overpower the legal public records.

I hope he's getting professional help and in recovery-whatever that looks like under the circumstances.

Kitna news is now plastered all over the internet. He was a Gator.

I studied Nicomachean Ethics and Aristotle. We discussed things in detail. The most important part was 'the dialogue'. I understand virtue and the difference between that and virtue signalling. Don't kill the messenger.

Lighten up Francis!

Go Gators.

 

Yes, Claygator, I should have said what he was accused of rather than what he did. I don’t know, and probably never will, know the details. In fact, I suspected from the outset that the case may have been blown out of proportion and Kitna wasn’t guilty of crimes quite as bad as being portrayed by some. I also was conflicted by the possibility that my doubts could be rooted in my desire for Kitna to be another Kyle Trask for us on the gridiron.

 

C'mon, man. It depends on who your dad is, haven't you been paying attention? God save the Queen, buddy.

 

Yeah, the topic is creepy as all hell, there are details we don't know. There's the law, it's all pretty ugly. Based on the skin-crawl component people find it hard to discuss, really. Understandable. How do you respond to this stuff? How do you not react? I still remember when I heard the original news. I was truly mortified.

Maybe he can play Rugby in Europe? You know, after a name change and stuff.


In other news:

Our future looks good. Lagway is a beast. Plus you can see his smile from 50 yards away with a helmet on!

In 60 days or so the team will be grasping for oxygen molecules in Utah. Let's hope we can find a way to win out there. Man, wouldn't that be cool? Yaaay. What a great way to start the season, with a win!

Go Gators.