A disturbing report is now coming out of Tuscaloosa, at the University of Alabama, where it appears that one of the most widely recognized faces on campus has now been arrested for the charges of driving under the influence.
The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office has made a formal announcement that the President of the Student Government Association, Jarod Zakiya Hunter, was arrested for a DUI over the weekend, according to the<a href="https://al.com"> AL.com</a> website.
Keep in mind Jarod Hunter's legal spelling of his name is with an "o" in Jarod, although he uses social media with an "e", for whatever reason. Law enforcement has him listed as Jarod Zakiya Hunter, which is how it will be reported throughout the story.
If you search the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office<a href="https://www.tcsoal.org/arrest-db/inmates/1671191"> inmate database </a>you'll find that Jarod Hunter is being detained on a $1,000 bond, showing that the date of arrest was January 21st of 2017.
<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/2d98a1c858ad8828c0afd43825400e1da70232eaf6a59a1722faeaeb04041ea0.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">
<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Credit:<a href="https://www.tcsoal.org/arrest-db/inmates/1671191"> Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Criminal / Inmate Database</a></span>
Jarod Hunter was detained by Tuscaloosa Police after being involved in an automotive crash shortly after 1:30 AM on Sunday morning near the 1300 block of Hackberry Lane in Tuscaloosa.
Once Tuscaloosa Police arrived at the scene, it was clear to the responding officers that Hunter was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.
Jack Royer, of<a href="http://www.wiat.com/news/breaking-news/university-of-alabama-sga-president-arrested-for-dui/930280733"> WIAT 42 in Birmingham </a>reported that Hunter blew a shocking .16 into a breathalyzer after the automotive crash.
<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/ed852299df2de805a6e1cef44fd01f1d766c327609038d18c641b0310937c8d6.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">
<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Jarod Hunter's Mugshot. Credit:<a href="https://www.tcsoal.org/arrest-db/inmates/1671191"> Tuscaloosa Police</a></span>
He should never have been behind the wheel to begin with, which not only endangered his own life but that of other drivers who were placed at risk by this reckless behavior.
CBS Birmingham affiliate WIAT also reported that the University of Alabama declined to comment when approached by their staff about the incident involving the Student Government Association President, instead suggesting a statement would be released at a later date.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hunter blew a .16 breathalyzer after being arrested at 2:10am. He was involved in a head-on collision in the 1300 block of Hackberry Lane at 1:30am. that's when officers noticed he was impaired- according to Tuscaloosa Police. <a href="https://t.co/6mlAEflQr7">https://t.co/6mlAEflQr7</a></p>— Jack Royer (@JackRoyer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackRoyer/status/955199846801080320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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As most in the Tuscaloosa area know, Jarod Hunter made headlines last year during his run for SGA President, where allegations surfaced against Hunter<a href="http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2017/03/university_of_alabamas_machine.html"> claiming he had cheated </a>during the election.
A University of Alabama Board said he paid a $500 bar tab for students at a campaign kickoff party and later lied about it. He also spent more than the $1,000 allowed for a campaign.
<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/28cf31010e24e57ed9b5b1429964a86d220a89eeb725e66246f0c31a4f52304c.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">
<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Credit:<a href="https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1154281082"> Jarod Hunter | Facebook</a></span>
It was also a matter of alleged ethics violations against Hunter, according to<a href="https://sga.ua.edu/elections/static/February28-ViolationReport%20(1).pdf"> official University of Alabama </a>documents.
Hunter was banned from campaigning as a result and also ordered to fulfill community service.
While it was a history-changing moment for the African-American candidate to win the title of SGA President, to hold the helm of a leadership role is a position where one should carry themselves with honor.
The victory by Hunter also brought several interesting questions in regards to a seemingly controversial campaign, plagued with scandal, back into the spotlight.
In a huge surprise, Jarod Hunter was able to gain the support of the highly influential society on campus known as "The Machine", traditionally dominated by white Conservatives, a huge bolster to the changing demographics of the campus and Alabama in general.
The Machine is a former Alpha Rho chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon at the University of Alabama, which is a coalition of Panhellenic sororities and IFC fraternities which formed a secret society with some degree of influence over campus and Alabama state politics.
It was considered a monumental achievement for Hunter to garnish such support. At the time, Hunter stated, "My story is unique, just like every other one of the 37,665 students on this campus. I feel connected to the stories of all students and that is something worth celebrating. At the end of the day, the Machine's support is meaningless if I do not have yours."
All of the prestige and glory of the victory, despite the scandals which plagued the campaign, has now seemingly been lost to the new arrest.
<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/abc39284885b69f831d8ed891f3294461bdb3e5d56ea6216bb3606823668615e.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">
<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Credit:<a href="https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1154281082"> Jarod Hunter | Facebook</a></span>
Jarod Hunter has served as the President of UA's Student Government since April of 2017, and now it may come to a screeching halt at the hands of his own poor decision making.
Now, several students on campus who stated that Hunter should have been disqualified after the scandal last year, are now shaking their heads as Jarod Hunter has brought shame to their prestigious school.
The Goldwater spoke to several students on campus on the promise of anonymity.
One Senior at the University of Alabama said that support for Hunter has greatly diminished in recent months, where he's built a reputation as a liberal proponent of change to traditional values on campus.
<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/27ffd2b4d5f430f6ba080ff312a5d1e0a423b0739a3c08ec91375cb8e9365ad8.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">
<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Credit:<a href="https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1154281082">Jarod Hunter | Facebook</a></span>
A second Senior on campus said, "Yeah, his arrest has shocked a lot of us. According to a piece read earlier, he had previously been arrested in 2015. The Machine backed him in the last SGA election and he is widely supported by fraternities and sororities. Ordinary students don't pay attention to SGA, for the most part. We all know the elections are rigged so that fraternities and sororities get who they want as the President of SGA."
Finally, I spoke to a third student who suggested that Hunter is widely popular, and had a bright future in the political arena due to his uncanny ability to both speak and make the crowd resonate with his life.
Dependent upon ideological stance and political perspective it seems that Jarod Hunter has varying levels of support, although two out of three seemingly suggested that Hunter's time on campus may be over.
What remains to be seen, is how the University of Alabama will respond.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Talking to former SGA members who tell me they don't see a way Hunter will remain as President, saying he will likely be prosecuted by the SGA Judicial Review board, if he does not resign first.<br><br>Hunter has been President since April 2017, when he defeated incumbent Lillian Roth.</p>— Jack Royer (@JackRoyer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackRoyer/status/955203421669351425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Jack Royer also said he's spoken to several individuals who suggest there's no path forward as SGA President for Hunter after this arrest.
Currently, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide Football team is victorious as <i>National Champions</i> who are celebrating their huge victory over the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
After a hard-fought win in the College Football National Championship game, this will certainly distract from some of the celebrations on campus.
The last thing the University of Alabama wishes for is any type of controversy to tarnish their well-deserved limelight.
Students, and graduates of UA; move forward in life to achieve huge success. This arrest should not tarnish their incredible desire to both become future leaders in America and the overall commitment of the majority of students to follow the law, nor should it give a false impression that the rest of the student body supports such behavior.
I visited Jarod Hunter's Facebook page, where he often virtue signaled against Republicans and their policies.
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Despite claims of a desire to not "express his political opinions online" (which he actually did often), he's potentially going to be free to do so if he's removed from office.
This is a developing story, and we will most certainly update with any changes to the status of the SGA President or the eventual criminal case against Jarod Hunter.
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Good riddance. This guy's a cheater he stole the election