Mark
10-25-2007, 01:02 AM
Thursday, October 25, 2007
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/605171sports10-25-07.htm
YAFL Coach Is Arrested
By Toby Smith (http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/email_reporter.pl)
Journal Staff Writer
Parents of players on a Young America Football League team have rallied in support of the team's assistant coach who was arrested Monday on an outstanding felony warrant.
Marie Velasquez, the mother of a 10-year-old Valley Vikings player, said Donovan R. Dumas "has done a lot of good things" for the team."
"He's been a positive force," said Charles Countee. "I know parents have called him up and asked him to talk to team members."
Texas County, Okla., authorities issued a bench warrant that said Dumas, 34, of Albuquerque, was wanted for failing to pay fines and court costs relating to his guilty plea in 1997 for drug trafficking.
The warrant originally had been issued in 2002 and it revoked his probation.
Dumas was arrested at his home by Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department deputies.
Ten years ago, Dumas received two 10-year prison sentences to run concurrently for trafficking marijuana and for unlawful possession of a dangerous substance, according to the Texas County clerk's office. Four years of the sentence were suspended.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections officials said Dumas served four years in prison for the 97 sentence. However, terms of his probation included paying fines and court costs.
District Court records in Texas County show that Dumas, from 2003 to 2005, periodically paid small amounts totaling $175 in an attempt to clear the fines and court costs, then stopped.
Records show that Dumas owes more than $28,000.
Dumas is being held without bond in the Bernalillo County Detention Center, according to Sheriff Darren White.
KOAT-TV reported that Donovan was arrested in 1993 for possession and purchase of cocaine for sale, and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.
"Someone who has been through the struggles he has, and come back, can serve as a role model for young people," Velasquez said.
Donovan has been a YAFL volunteer since 2003, all with the Valley Vikings. On Sunday, the Vikings' season ended when they lost to Volcano Vista in the semifinals of YAFL's freshman division. Freshman teams are comprised of 10- and 11-year-olds.
Championship games in all YAFL divisions will be held Sunday at Wilson Stadium, starting at 8 a.m.
"It (the arrest) took us by surprise," said Mark Williams, YAFL's president.
Williams said he had received no negative reports about Dumas, other than one from another team complaining that Dumas had used profanity during a game while yelling at opposing players.
But that complaint turned out to be unfounded, according to Williams.
"He seemed to have really good rapport with kids," Williams said.
Williams said that since Dumas' arrest, he has had several e-mail messages and telephone calls from parents offering support for the coach.
YAFL does a background check on all coaches, Williams said, but the investigation covers only New Mexico.
"We've been looking at having nationwide checks, and we're trying to get there," Williams said. "But there are 160 teams in YAFL and five to eight assistant coaches on every team. That can be pretty pricey."
This year YAFL has more than 4,000 participants, both boys and girls, and more than 600 cheerleaders.
Charles Countee is the father of Dumas' wife and the grandfather of a Valley Viking player, who is Dumas' stepson. Countee said of his son-in-law, "He's a young man who certainly made mistakes. But he has tried to turn himself around. He wanted to make a change and so he became a YAFL coach."
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/605171sports10-25-07.htm
YAFL Coach Is Arrested
By Toby Smith (http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/email_reporter.pl)
Journal Staff Writer
Parents of players on a Young America Football League team have rallied in support of the team's assistant coach who was arrested Monday on an outstanding felony warrant.
Marie Velasquez, the mother of a 10-year-old Valley Vikings player, said Donovan R. Dumas "has done a lot of good things" for the team."
"He's been a positive force," said Charles Countee. "I know parents have called him up and asked him to talk to team members."
Texas County, Okla., authorities issued a bench warrant that said Dumas, 34, of Albuquerque, was wanted for failing to pay fines and court costs relating to his guilty plea in 1997 for drug trafficking.
The warrant originally had been issued in 2002 and it revoked his probation.
Dumas was arrested at his home by Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department deputies.
Ten years ago, Dumas received two 10-year prison sentences to run concurrently for trafficking marijuana and for unlawful possession of a dangerous substance, according to the Texas County clerk's office. Four years of the sentence were suspended.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections officials said Dumas served four years in prison for the 97 sentence. However, terms of his probation included paying fines and court costs.
District Court records in Texas County show that Dumas, from 2003 to 2005, periodically paid small amounts totaling $175 in an attempt to clear the fines and court costs, then stopped.
Records show that Dumas owes more than $28,000.
Dumas is being held without bond in the Bernalillo County Detention Center, according to Sheriff Darren White.
KOAT-TV reported that Donovan was arrested in 1993 for possession and purchase of cocaine for sale, and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.
"Someone who has been through the struggles he has, and come back, can serve as a role model for young people," Velasquez said.
Donovan has been a YAFL volunteer since 2003, all with the Valley Vikings. On Sunday, the Vikings' season ended when they lost to Volcano Vista in the semifinals of YAFL's freshman division. Freshman teams are comprised of 10- and 11-year-olds.
Championship games in all YAFL divisions will be held Sunday at Wilson Stadium, starting at 8 a.m.
"It (the arrest) took us by surprise," said Mark Williams, YAFL's president.
Williams said he had received no negative reports about Dumas, other than one from another team complaining that Dumas had used profanity during a game while yelling at opposing players.
But that complaint turned out to be unfounded, according to Williams.
"He seemed to have really good rapport with kids," Williams said.
Williams said that since Dumas' arrest, he has had several e-mail messages and telephone calls from parents offering support for the coach.
YAFL does a background check on all coaches, Williams said, but the investigation covers only New Mexico.
"We've been looking at having nationwide checks, and we're trying to get there," Williams said. "But there are 160 teams in YAFL and five to eight assistant coaches on every team. That can be pretty pricey."
This year YAFL has more than 4,000 participants, both boys and girls, and more than 600 cheerleaders.
Charles Countee is the father of Dumas' wife and the grandfather of a Valley Viking player, who is Dumas' stepson. Countee said of his son-in-law, "He's a young man who certainly made mistakes. But he has tried to turn himself around. He wanted to make a change and so he became a YAFL coach."