DA declines to prosecute Alabama's Cam Robinson, Hootie Jones

Two Alabama players arrested in May will not face prosecution.

KNOE-TV reported Monday that the Monroe, La., district attorney will not pursue cases against offensive lineman Cam Robinson and defensive back Hootie Jones, citing insufficient evidence.

"I want to emphasize once again that the main reason I'm doing this is that I refuse to ruin the lives of two young men who have spent their adolescence and teenage years, working and sweating, while we were all in the air conditioning,” said Ouachita Parish District Attorney Jerry Jones.

However, according to Al.com, the local clerk’s office said the case “could proceed in the future if new evidence is presented.”

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Robinson and Jones were arrested in the early morning hours of May 17 on drug possession and weapon charges. Police said “a strong odor of marijuana” was detected from a vehicle occupied by Robinson and Jones in the parking lot of a park. A bag of marijuana (reportedly containing less than a gram) was found “in plain view.” Jones had a handgun on his lap while Robinson had a stolen firearm under his seat. Two other men were also in the car, per KNOE.

Both players were hit with “possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance” and “possession of a controlled dangerous substance” charges. Robinson was also charged with “illegal possession of a stolen firearm,” a felony. The other two charges were misdemeanors.

Per KNOE, the DA said there wasn't enough evidence to prove who was in possession of the guns and drugs. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the decision was made Thursday before a scheduled arraignment. The arraignment was postponed due to an illness, but Alabama coach Nick Saban learned of the decision that day, per Rapoport.

Saban has told reporters on multiple occasions that he planned to wait for the legal process to play out before levying any discipline to the two players. Robinson, an offensive tackle, was a first-team all-SEC choice as a sophomore in 2015 and is considered one of the best offensive linemen in college football. Robinson is also considered a potential first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, so the situation was being watched closely from plenty of angles.

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"It's the first time Cam has ever had an issue or a problem," Saban said earlier this month. "We're handling it and managing it internally and making him do things to hopefully change his behavior. I'm waiting to see how this whole legal thing plays out, because it's not really what it seems to be."

Jones played in nine games as a sophomore in 2015 and had two tackles. Both players are natives of Monroe, but played at different high schools. The lawyer representing the two players defended the DA's decision.

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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