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Rashard Turner, a former guard with the University of Maine men’s basketball team, withdrew from UMaine before the start of classes Sept. 5. This came just days after he was arrested for domestic assault involving his girlfriend, a member of the Black Bears women’s basketball squad, at popular night club, Ushuaia. The incident occurred at 12:56 a.m. on Sept. 3.
UMaine athletics officials could not confirm whether Turner’s departure was related to the incident, saying only that he had elected to transfer to Paul Quinn College in Dallas for personal reasons.
“All I can say is that he’s decided to leave the program for personal reasons, and because it’s a personal reason, I can’t elaborate on that,” said Black Bears head coach Ted Woodward, reached via phone while out of town on a recruiting trip.
Turner could not be located for comment.
Orono police confirmed that Woodward viewed a club security tape of the incident the evening after it occurred.
According to witnesses and a video of the incident, Turner, 23, and his girlfriend, Danielle Hubbard, 21, were arguing inside the club after he saw her talking to another man. Turner then grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her towards the club’s exit, at which point club officials stepped in and tried to separate the two.
Turner, who police believe had been drinking, was belligerent with club security and refused to let go of Hubbard, going so far as to swing at a Ushuaia staff member and grab Hubbard by the hair.
Eventually a group of six to eight people, including Turner, Hubbard, three club staff members and several bystanders, exited the club. A pair of Orono police officers parked across the street observed club security wrestle Turner to the ground and hold him there.
When the officers arrived to investigate, they were informed that Turner had violently grabbed Hubbard inside the club. After a brief struggle, police were able to subdue Turner and take him into custody. Although witnesses described Turner forcefully resisting officers, the only charge levied against him was domestic assault on Hubbard.
During the struggle, Hubbard broke free from a male bystander who had been restraining her and struck one of the Orono police officers. She was subsequently arrested and charged with assault.
According to the UMaine Athletic Department, Director of Athletics Blake James has indefinitely suspended Hubbard from the women’s basketball team as a result of her involvement in the incident. Hubbard practiced with the team last season but did not play while sitting out after transferring from South Carolina State.
Turner was transported to Penobscot County Jail and released later that morning. According to the OPD incident report, Turner was uncooperative with jail officials.
Some time between his arrest and the start of classes Tuesday, Sept. 5, Turner transfered to PQC, which describes itself as a “Christ-centered liberal arts institution affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.” PQC is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics [NAIA], an alternative to the NCAA, making Turner eligible to play immediately.
A telephone call seeking confirmation of Turner’s enrollment was not returned.
A 5-foot-10, 200-pound point guard, Turner averaged 10.8 points per game during his only season in Orono last year. The Peekskill, N.Y. native appeared in all 28 Black Bears games with 27 starts, averaged a team-high 3.00 assists per game, and was America East’s fourth best three-point shooter with a .417 percentage.
Including UMaine, Paul Quinn will be Turner’s fourth school in a college career that began at Kent State University, included a stop at Monroe Community College in the Bronx, and now PQC.
Turner and Hubbard are both due in Bangor District Court on October 12 to face charges of domestic assault and assault, respectively.
Editor in Chief Matthew Conyers contributed to this report.
Bangor Daily News