Judge benches Ohio athlete as part of sentence

[September 19, 2009]  HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) -- A standout Ohio athlete has been ordered to stay on the sidelines after pleading guilty to felonious assault.

Nineteen-year-old Dwayne "Deejay" Hunter was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 500 hours of community service and five years of probation. Among terms of his probation, Hunter cannot play organized sports.

The former Middletown High School football and track star pleaded guilty in July to felonious assault for shooting a 15-year-old boy twice in the face with a BB gun.

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Andrew Nastoff told Hunter his athlete status had given him a sense of entitlement.

Hunter had been recruited by the University of Tennessee and Big Ten and Big East schools. They backed away after his legal problems surfaced.

[Associated Press]

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