I'm just wondering if they were following him because they were hoping they could turn him and have him roll on his supplier.
Or they were following the supplier and up pops Colt as the buyer. Or Colt is the dealer and they're giving him a break and not charging him with distribution because he's cooperating.
Think about it though, if anyone would be a good mark by law enforcement to turn over on his dealer, it would be the guy who is trying to get into the NFL. He has a lot to lose.
I would guess that the cops talked him into going back to his apartment so they could see if he had any more lying around there. He probably figured it out on the way and bolted.
I'm here and just laying low... I think you guys all give reasonable speculations and guesses into what happened. Unfortunately, at this point, all we can do is speculate. We know the facts are pretty bad...team-mates said he would never sleep, his productivity dropped, he missed practices, showed terrible judgment, quit on his team...and this is post treatment (the reason he missed a lot of practice). My guess...only a guess...is that the investigator was in the area for good cause and getting info on a dealer and Colt just happened to be in the area where drugs are known to be sold/used. Eugene is not that big. If you've fallen so far as to be snorting coke in your car, you are going to get caught. Going to his apartment is certainly not standard procedure, but it's not unheard of either. Suspect is cooperative and says he has more dope or contacts at his apartment. Officer agrees. It should be noted that the officer does not have the ability to make a plea deal at this time. People in trouble do some odd things. Colt might have been scrambling to formulate a plan and in the moment offered more dope or info to buy some time. Who knows if he had been up for three days straight. When realizing he wasn't getting out of this, he fled. Did you guys see he had four traffic violations in a short period of time and his license was suspended shortly after leaving the team? Possessing is different from delivery and manufacturing. We don't know the amount and what info Colt offered up or what was volunteered from the apartment visit. If I recall correctly, this would be a C Felony with max penalty being 5 years in prison. Likely plea deal to come. Grand jury...here we come.
First time possession charge is I think 99x out of 100 just probation and if he completes community service and some sort of drug treatment can be expunged. But thanks for the info. I still find it interesting that the regional task force is involved.
Unfortunately. I would have LOVED to be wrong on this one. Too many signs. Too many people talking. I can't image the "high" one would get from playing in front of an Autzen crowd, scoring a TD. How could any drug replace that feeling? Colt is a broken man who threw away something few will ever experience. We can blame his parents, upbringing, etc. but at the end of the day he was surrounded by amazing team-mates and coaches who loved and supported him. This is on him. All of it. It is my understanding he was given multiple chances and he took advantage at every turn. There's more similarities between Hernandez and Colt than any of us initially knew...sad.
I thought Colt has a juvenile record? There is a pattern and this may be one of the times where a statement is made during sentencing. I'll probably be way off because we have no idea the amount of coke involved and other elements...but, three to six months in jail and state ordered treatment is reasonable.
I don't see Colt getting jail time on this. Probation, treatment program and community service is my prediction. Another thought on why he ran . . . the guy was probably high as a kite. He goes back to his apt, feels his high coming down and runs to his apartment, snorts a bunch of coke to get one last good high before going to jail. Sounds wierd but when your in that state of mind, all you care about is maintaining that high (probably why he is doing it in his car)
John Tyner is representing Colt. Possible one year of drug court/rehab stuff instead of incarceration...however, Colt will need to comply with all requirements. So far, he's shown little respect authority. We'll see, right? http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/10/colt_lyerla_arraignment_update.html
At least he's going to Florida. That's the perfect place to go to shake a coke habit. Coke is really hard to find there.
Even better, XL is based in Miami. Maybe Oden can keep Lyerla away from the coke and move him towards booze. The NFL doesn't mind if you drink a bit.