Updated ,first published
Hawthorn president Andy Gowers believes players Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald won’t have to return to the United States for further legal appearances despite their arrest in Arizona in November.
The pair were charged with criminal trespass after they were caught 2½ metres off the ground on a scissor lift in a central Scottsdale car park at 10.47pm on November 8, while Arizona police alleged a small clear bag containing a “crystalline substance” fell out of Moore’s pocket when he was arrested, but the footballer denied it was his.
Gowers told 3AW on Friday night that the legal process was close to concluding, and he didn’t believe Moore and Macdonald would have to make any in-person appearances.
Court records show Moore has a sentencing hearing at the Scottsdale City Court on July 13, while Macdonald is listed to face court on August 4.
“I don’t think so,” Gowers said when asked if they had to head back to the US.
“I think, for them, the fact that it became public and when it did become public – there’s probably a weight off their shoulders.
“I think every human being could relate to that. So I think, in some ways, the weight is off their shoulders, and they can focus on footy.
“We’ve all made mistakes, haven’t we? And look, I think the important thing is, Dylan was immediately remorseful on the front foot, [and] let the club know. And, you know, we’ve dealt with it there.
“There is the legal side of it, which is still not completely finished, but pretty close to [it]. As I said, [they’re] remorseful, [and] we move on.”
A Scottsdale Police Department report released to this masthead on Friday revealed more details about the arrest of Moore and Macdonald during an off-season trip to the US, which was kept quiet until Tuesday.
Moore was also initially charged with a more serious misdemeanour drug paraphernalia offence, but it was later dismissed at the request of the Scottsdale City Attorney.
The police narrative released on Friday shows officers initially alleged they discovered contraband on Moore when he was searched after climbing down from the scissor lift on private property.
“As I was pulling a couple of items out of his pocket, a small plastic baggie with a small amount of a crystalline substance fell out of his pocket and landed on the sidewalk,” Officer Chris Motiejunas wrote.
“I picked it up and asked what that was and Dylan immediately responded that wasn’t his. I then searched his pocket again [and] located a rolled-up $100 bill with a crystalline residue inside of it as well.”
Moore refused to provide further information about the discontinued drug charge when he was interviewed by Seven News on Tuesday. His management and Hawthorn were contacted for further comment on Friday.
The Scottsdale Prosecution Office has also been asked why the drug charge was dropped.
It is unclear whether the powdery residue allegedly on items in Moore’s possession turned out to be an illicit substance after testing.
This week, this masthead revealed the AFL would update its illicit drug policy to remove references to “strikes” that trigger automatic suspensions in a new, more rigorous version of the code.
Moore, 26, was Hawthorn’s vice captain when he was detained with his younger teammate, but has since lost the role and expressed remorse in the interview with Channel Seven.
“I was out having a few drinks and made a foolish mistake,” he said. “[I] decided to get on a scissor lift. Next thing I know, the cops are there telling me to get off.”
The police report released on Friday alleges Moore and Macdonald, 23, were being cheered on and filmed when they rode a boom lift in Scottsdale’s entertainment district.
Three police officers on bicycles happened upon the scene near an apartment complex, where the after-hours condominium manager, Jeffery Greenfield, was reportedly telling the Hawthorn duo to come down.
“As we approached I could hear Jeffery pleading with the males to get off of the boom lift,” Motinejunas said in his police report.
“I walked underneath the boom lift and told them males they needed to get off of the platform. They responded to me asking if they had done something wrong. I advised them that they were standing on property that was not theirs and they did not have permission to be on it.”
Officer Michael Biland said the Envy Condos property manager told him he had asked Moore and Macdonald to get off the lift “several times”.
“He noted that the male refused each time,” Biland’s report said. “He continued to state that the males were on the lift for approximately 10 minutes prior to police arrival.”
After he asked Moore and Macdonald to get down, Motinjunas reported: “The males then told me they didn’t know how to get down so I told them they could get down the same way that they got up there.”
Police records show the duo were believed to have consumed alcohol before they were arrested, but no other drug use was suspected.
Scottsdale Police said that once handcuffed, Moore and Macdonald were taken to a downtown jail, “where they were booked and held in custody due to their out-of-country residency”.
The Hawthorn players were charged with third-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanour with a presumed fine of $US250 ($355).
The pair were in Phoenix for an off-season trip and visited the gym of high-performance company Exos, which specialises in training elite athletes.
Moore said he would always regret his arrest and experienced a range of emotions when he was locked up in jail.
“I felt a bit of disappointment, regret, stress, anxiety,” he told Seven.
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