Eastern Michigan star Emoni Bates released a statement after his two felony gun charges were dropped in Washtenaw County, Mich., court on Wednesday.
Judge Patrick J. Conlin Jr. dropped Bates’s felony charges that included carrying a concealed weapon and altering identification marks on a firearm, according to Forbes’ Adam Zagoria. The news comes after ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel reported that Bates’s charges would be fully dropped this week upon completing a misdemeanor diversion program. Previously, a not-guilty plea had been entered on Bates’s behalf.
In his statement, the 18-year-old wrote that he hopes that his mistake can “inspire others to think before acting.