ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (WJW)– Exclusive video from the FOX 8 I-Team answers a question many of you have been asking since the recent traffic stop of Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt.
We investigated the officer involved so that you can decide if the Browns running back got special treatment. We requested police video from several traffic stops carried out by Rocky River Officer Mike Asbury.
Last month, Asbury found himself in the headlines after an encounter on the highway with Hunt.
Hunt ended up with a speeding ticket. He didn’t get arrested even though the officer found a small amount of marijuana and a bottle of vodka that had been opened.
Rocky River police say Hunt didn’t seem impaired and they don’t usually file charges for just a bit of pot.
In fact, in the video clips we reviewed of other traffic stops, we saw Officer Asbury questioning and searching. But, he only gave tickets and warnings. He asked one driver, “Smells like weed in the car. Somebody smoke weed in the car recently?”
The driver responded, “Last night.” The officer looked in that driver’s backpack and asked questions. As the traffic stop wrapped up, he reminded that driver, “Weed’s almost legal (but) we can still search your car.”
Another driver could have been arrested in connection with a suspended driver’s license, but after questioning the driver at length and reviewing documents, the officer simply wrote him a ticket to go to court later.
A video shows one driver had a license plate problem, but he also had a BB gun that looked like a powerful handgun. In this case, Officer Asbury did what he also did with Hunt. He gave a little talk.
“Dude, you gotta be careful with that. Easy to think it’s real. Like, a cop sees that on a traffic stop, or something. It slides out…” the officer said.
The I-Team also looked through this officer’s personnel file. We found he’s been on the force five years. The file did not include any annual reviews and did not include any discipline. It did include some letters of praise, including one from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for helping to make the roads safer.
The videos provide just a snapshot. But they show, the Hunt case is more typical than not.
More stories on Kareem Hunt here
