Prosecutors drop P.J. Williams' DUI charge, citing no video evidence

Citing a lack of video evidence of the cornerback's traffic stop, the State Attorney's Office on Monday dropped the DUI charge against former Florida State University football player P.J. Williams.

Williams, 21, was arrested April 3 by Florida State University Police Department officers on West Tennessee Street. Officers said he swerved over the center line multiple times, stopped at a green light and nearly hit a curb. Officers said his eyes were red and watery and he spoke with slurred speech. Court documents say he was driving on a suspended license.

Officers said Williams showed signs of impairment as he stepped out of his car, but it was not captured on video. The short time Williams was on camera "does not provide the jury with visible or audible evidence that would prove this defendant was impaired beyond a reasonable doubt," according to the no information filing.

"Jurors give the greatest weight to video evidence (when it is available) and, based on the camera placement during the officer's initial encounter with the defendant, as well as the location of the surveillance cameras at the jail, key observations of impairment made by the officer were not recorded and, therefore, are not available for a jury to consider," the no information filing says.

A no information filing indicates that a prosecutor believes there is not enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and is declining to prosecute.

The videos obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat show police pulling Williams over in the Jimmy John's parking lot on West Tennessee Street about 3 a.m. The dash cam is not pointed in the direction of Williams' car during most of the stop. Shown is about two minutes of Williams speaking with an officer then getting put in handcuffs.

Prosecutors said since parts of the incident were not captured on video, a jury would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Williams was driving the rental car and was doing so under the influence of alcohol.

State Attorney Willie Meggs said he didn't think it was common for a no information to be filed in a DUI case, but added he didn't see any signs Williams was under the influence.

"In this video when you get to it, I don't see any swaying. I don't see any impairment," Meggs said. "Is this overwhelming evidence of guilt? No."

The filing said the officer's observations about Williams' driving pattern were "subtle," that his tires touched divider lines only four times and that he did not affect traffic.

"The lanes are narrow on this section of Tennessee Street and the defendant was driving a large vehicle," the document said. "The video does not show that the defendant's driving was dangerous or affected other drivers."

At the time of his arrest, Williams, whose full name is Kenneth Lamar Williams, told officers he was coming from a local bar, Recess. His stance swayed and he braced against the door of the vehicle when officers asked him to exit, according to the report. He refused a field sobriety test and to give a breath sample at the Leon County Jail.

Williams declared to enter the 2015 NFL draft after his junior season on the Seminoles football team, and was projected by many to be a first-round pick after his performance during FSU's pro day. His highest individual accomplishment as a Seminole was winning defensive MVP honors in FSU's national championship victory over Auburn in 2013. Williams finished his career at FSU with 123 tackles and 18 pass breakups in 40 games with 24 starts.