Miami-Dade prosecutors will not pursue charges against Miami Hurricanes’ Larry Hodges

Miami-Dade County prosecutors are expected to announce Tuesday that they will not pursue charges against University of Miami tight end Larry Hodges, according to multiple sources, after his March arrest for carrying a concealed firearm and possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana.

As of Monday afternoon, Hodges remained on the Miami Hurricanes’ roster.

According to a police report, Hodges was driving a Silver Altima on March 21 in South Miami when he was called over because the front windshield was covered by a sunscreen material, according to the arresting officer.

The officer said Hodges “attempted to flee and elude me” but “I never lost visual of the vehicle.”

The officer said the vehicle made two turns, then parked at a gas station, where the officer approached the vehicle and “immediately smelled a distinct and strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle.”

The officer said he observed “a green, leafy substance residue of [marijuana] in plain view with brown tobacco leaves located in the center console.”

The officer said he asked Hodges, the only person in the vehicle, to provide his drivers license, but “he informed me that” he had a license, but it wasn’t with him.

The officer said Hodges was “displaying abnormal behavior; therefore, I asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, due to officer safety. The driver was handcuffed and detained for his safety and mine.”

He said he asked Hodges if the odor was from “hemp” and Hodges said he did not know but “admitted to smoking marijuana in the vehicle with his friends” the previous night. Hodges said the vehicle was registered to his friend’s sister.

In a vehicle search, the arresting officer said he seized both a loaded Glock-27 and a second handgun in the glove compartment and noted Hodges does not have a license for possession of a concealed weapon.

Hodges was arrested and transported to a jail in South Miami, where he posted $6000 bail.

Hodges’ defense attorney, Joseph Rosenbaum, told the Miami Herald that Hodges had borrowed the car and did not know the weapons were inside. One of the weapons was registered to the car owner, he said, and the other was unregistered.

“He has no knowledge of them. He has no guns,” Rosenbaum said of Hodges.

Rosenbaum also said the marijuana did not belong to Hodges.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, which declined comment on Hodges’ case, has largely stopped prosecuting low-level marijuana cases. Because of the institution of a Florida law legalizing hemp — which smells the same as weed — any marijuana seized by police must be tested in a lab to verify it is not hemp.

Whether Hodges remains on UM’s roster is unknown. UM reiterated Monday its statement from last Thursday that Hodges “has been withheld from team activities due to violation of team rules.” The violation was related to his arrest, and he had not practiced since the arrest.

Hodges, who attended Tampa Jesuit Prep, was rated by Rivals as the 19th-best tight end in the Class of 2019 and chose UM over offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia Tech, Louisville and others.

He immediately impressed as a freshman, catching two passes — both for touchdowns — in the home opener against Bethune-Cookman.

But he had only one other reception in his UM career — during last season’s blowout of FSU.

If he remains on the team, UM is hopeful he can contribute in the passing game, behind projected starter Will Mallory, after Brevin Jordan left to pursue an NFL career.

“I think he’s going to have a big offseason,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said of Hodges in January. “In bowl practice, having guys like Brevin and Will to learn from, what we’ve seen is he has the ability to really catch the football at a high level. Very athletic. If he can put on some weight, get a little stronger, his ball skills are there to help us next year, maybe make a big jump and earn a lot of playing time for us.”

Hodges, who also can play H-back, squandered a chance to get significant snaps during the spring, because the Canes didn’t have any natural tight ends (at least ones on scholarship) available for spring practice, with Mallory and backup Dominic Mammarelli healing from shoulder procedures and early enrollee Elijah Arroyo sidelined by knee surgery.

Michael Parrott, a fullback/H-back who’s on scholarship, was used at tight end this spring and can play that position. He appeared in 10 games last season, largely on special teams, and coaches consider him smart and reliable.

If Hodges remains on the team, he will compete with Arroyo, Parrott and summer arrival and former Miami Northwestern High standout Khalil Brantley to be UM’s No. 2 and No. 3 tight ends behind Mallory.

Mammarelli is expected to be ready near the start of the season, and his forte is blocking. UM believes Arroyo and Brantley might be able to help immediately; Brantley, like Parrott and Hodges, also has the ability to play H-back.

Arroyo hauled in 13 touchdowns for a Texas high school last season and Canes coaches love his skill set.

“Arroyo, I got a relationship with when I was at SMU,” Lashlee said in January. “He grew up in Pinecrest, has family in Kendall. Being a big Miami fan, it ended up being a fit. We’re excited about him. He’s 6-4, athletic, plays like a receiver in a tight end’s body, in a lot of ways like Brevin Jordan does. He’s that style of player, which is big for us.”

As for Brantley, he’s “very versatile,” Lashlee said. “He’s used to winning championships. He’s thicker, not as long [as Arroyo], can play in the backfield as well.”

UM conceivably could seek another tight end in the transfer portal.