Emoni Bates, EMU star and former No. 1 recruit arrested on gun charges in Washtenaw County

YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - Emoni Bates, once the number 1 overall recruit in the country was arrested Sunday night in Washtenaw County on gun charges, according to the sheriff's office.

Bates, an Ypsilanti native, was arrested around 10:45 p.m. in Superior Township after the sheriff said he ran through the intersection of Nottingham and Clark roads, and was pulled over. During the traffic stop, the sheriff said a gun was discovered and he was taken into custody.

Bates is facing two felony charges including carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a gun with altered ID numbers. He was arraigned just before 1 p.m. on Monday. 

A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. His attorney asked him to be released on a personal bond, which the judge granted.

However, the judge said there is a threat to the community because of the gun charges. He was ordered not to leave the state of Michigan until his next court date on Oct. 6. He was also ordered to not do any illegal activity - which includes alcohol and tobacco use.

During his hearing, the 18-year-old sat quietly as his attorney and judge did most of the talking.

"Your honor, Mr. Bates, Emoni, has been a lifelong resident of the community," said his attorney, Steve Haney. "He’s currently a full-time student at Eastern Michigan University. This is his first brush with the law. He has no prior criminal history at all."

"I don’t have a problem with the personal bond. I disagree that there’s no threat. the nature of these particular charges are inherently dangerous," said Judge Elisha Fink. "That’s why we have laws."

After his arrest, EMU sent out a statement saying Bates was suspended until the legal process is resolved:

"We are aware of a situation involving men's basketball student-athlete Emoni Bates. Eastern Michigan University takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. Per department policy, he has been suspended automatically from practice and playing privileges until the legal process is resolved. Because this is an on-going legal matter, the University will have no further comment at this time."

The 18-year-old Bates was the top-rated college basketball recruit in 2021 and committed to the University of Memphis. But he transferred back to EMU after his freshman year where he averaged a little more than 23 minutes per game, 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shot 38.6% from the field.

Bates was a consensus 5-star recruit out of Lincoln High School and initially committed to Michigan State before he reclassified and left high school and decommitted from MSU in 2021. He then committed to Memphis in August of last year and wound up transferring to EMU this summer.