Documents reveal what police were investigating prior to Mark Walton's arrest

Suspended UM running back not facing additional charges

University of Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Walton was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

MIAMI – University of Miami running back Mark Walton remains suspended from the school's football team after he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence Saturday.

When the rising star athlete was arrested, Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat said that officers were initially called to investigate another case "when they observed that this man was driving under the influence."

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Now, Local 10 News has obtained documents pertaining to that other case, which was also mentioned in Walton's arrest form.

The document details an incident reported by a woman who said she was pulled over by a man posing as a police officer around 4:15 a.m. April 21, according to a police report.

The victim told Miami police she was assaulted by a man who identified himself as an off-duty officer, the report stated, and told her he wouldn't give her a ticket if she called him for a date.

The victim said she noticed a white vehicle, possibly a Charger, Mustang or Camaro, got behind her on South Dixie Highway near Southwest 16th Avenue and was "trying to race her," the report said.

The driver of that vehicle then started flashing high-beam lights, a police report stated. 

The victim stopped in the 2700 block of Southwest 27th Street,  the report stated, and said a man approached her and said he was an "off duty officer" and asked her why she was speeding. 

The man then demanded that the victim get out of the vehicle and give her an identification card, police said. 

The victim said she turned around to get her card, the man yelled out "What are you doing?" and grabbed her by the hands and held her arms behind her as if he was going to arrest her, the report stated. 

The victim told police that the man then began to breathe down her neck and rubbed his genitals against her back before telling her he needed to call someone to make an arrest, and walked to his car.

When the man came back a few minutes later the told the woman she was "too pretty" to be arrested and that he was going to give her a break, the report stated, however, in exchange for letting her off she'd have to call him for a date.

He gave the victim his number and told her that his name was Salomon, then report stated, the told the victim that she'd get arrested if she didn't go straight home and that he'd follow her there to make sure she went. 

The victim told police that at no point did the man say what department he worked for, display a police badge, gun or anything else that would indicate that he was a police officer. 

She also told police that she was not sure of the make and model of the vehicle, the report stated, and that the vehicle has a possible Massachusetts or Florida tag on it, although the tag combination she gave police didn't come back with any hits.

The report states the internal affairs department of the Miami Police Department was contacted, and was advised that "they have a possible police impersonator matching the telephone number provided by the victim," the report stated.  

Police went to the victim's home in the 3000 block of Southwest 27th Terrace over the weekend to follow up on the complaint when they called additional officers in to administer roadside sobriety tests for Walton. 

It is unclear why Walton was at that location in the first place that night. 

Records show the phone number provided to police by the victim as the phone number belonging to the alleged police impersonator is registered to a Mark Walton. 

The car towed from the scene the night of Walton's arrest, a White Dodge Charger, matches the description given by the victim as the vehicle driven by the man she described as a police impersonator. 

Walton is not mentioned by name in the victim's complaint, nor is he facing any charges resembling any of the allegations posed in the alleged victim's complaint. 

Walton was arrested Saturday morning on charges of suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

The football player had alcohol on his breath, bloodshot eyes and was slurring his speech when officers approached his vehicle in the 3000 block of 27th Terrace about 3:50 a.m. according to his arrest report.

Police gave Walton a sobriety test, which he failed, the report said, and he was taken to a police station, where he performed a breath test. 

Walton's blood alcohol concentration was between 0.059 percent and 0.060 percent, police said. 

A blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 percent or above is considered the legal limit in Florida for drivers under the age of 21. 


About the Authors

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

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