Due to new evidence in his case, Dominique Hatfield will see his aggravated robbery charge dropped.
The University of Utah recently dismissed the cornerback amid allegations that he robbed someone he was selling an Xbox video game console to at knifepoint late last month. Salt Lake County District Attorney chief deputy Blake Nakamura told the Salt Lake Tribune the new evidence no longer implicates Hatfield in the crimes he was accused of.
However, Nakamura told the newspaper the state may still be able to file slightly different charges against Hatfield. Surveillance footage shows Hatfield in the area during the time of the robbery and may still have been involved.
"He had maintained his innocence to us from the get-go," Greg Skordas, Hatfield's attorney, told the Tribune. "[He] asked us to try to get that video as soon as we could, and told us that if we did get the video, it would show that he was innocent. And he was right."
Police arrested Hatfield when the victim's wife set up another sale to purchase iPhones from him. Hatfield admitted to stealing the smartphones from drunk partygoers in order to sell them online later.
Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham dismissed Hatfield last Friday, also revoking his scholarship, the Associated Press reported. Skordas said his client since moved home to Calif. and is considering transferring to another school.
Nakamura indicated the police will investigate the case further to see if Hatfield was involved in the armed robbery and whether his case warrants further charges.
