PETRINO UPDATE: 911 Call, Trooper Questioned & Drivers Contradict Police Report
By: Matt Turner / KNWA Nightly News Anchor
Updated: April 6, 2012
Arkansas State Police announced Friday that Captain Lance King is now being questioned about the events that happened on the day of Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino's motorcycle accident.
State Police completed the initial investigation into the crash on Thursday but new questions have come up so the department wants to learn more about what Captain King was told by Petrino, what he knew about the crash and details about his conversation with the people who drove Petrino and Jessica Dorrell from Madison County to Fayetteville.
State police say the results of their review should be released sometime early next week.
It should also be noted that according to the police report, Captain King was contacted by Petrino or someone in the vehicle to pick him up at a location in Fayetteville after he was taken there following a motorcycle crash in Madison County. King is a security escort for Coach Petrino and stands on the sidelines with him during Razorback football games.
KNWA has obtained the 911 call from a man who saw Petrino and Dorrell on the side of the road after their accident Sunday evening and here's a portion of his conversation with police.
"It's a motorcycle, a single vehicle accident as near as I know," the caller said. "The rider and the passenger of the motorcycle declined us to call 911. They got into a vehicle and headed toward the hospital."
The caller went on to say that Petrino and the woman he was with got into a white SUV that looked like a Jeep Cherokee. As KNWA found out, that type of vehicle is similar to the one driven by Benjamin Williams and Jody Stewart -- the people from Ozark who drove Petrino to Fayetteville according to police.
While Williams and Stewart declined an on-camera interview, they did speak to one of our reporters outside their home Thursday night. According to our reporter and other journalists who were also there, Benjamin and Jody said Petrino was alone at the accident scene and they never saw a woman with him. They denied giving a ride to Jessica Dorrell, despite the fact that the police report says they actually did and a 911 caller claims he saw Petrino and a woman get in their vehicle.
When asked where they took the coach, Benjamin Williams said he was dropped off at a hospital in Fayetteville. But Jody quickly interrupted -- saying that's not true.
Benjamin then said he forgot where they took Coach Petrino because there was so much blood in their vehicle that he became sick at his stomach and was forced to get out of the car near the town of Elkins. Benjamin also added that Jody kept driving and he has no idea where she took Coach Petrino.
However, the police report states that they did drive Petrino to a location in Fayetteville where 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell got into her own vehicle and drove away. At some point, Captain King was called and asked to come get Coach Petrino and take him to an area hospital.
In the days following the accident, the University of Arkansas sent out a news release saying Coach Petrino had a motorcycle accident and was alone on the bike. Following a news conference Tuesday, Petrino was specifically asked if he was the only person on the motorcycle and he answered by saying yes.
However, the story quickly changed when state police issued its report Thursday afternoon -- showing that Petrino was riding with his co-worker and former University of Arkansas Volleyball player Jessica Dorrell.
Petrino issued a statement apologizing for lying to the school and Athletic Director Jeff Long and admitted to having a previous inappropriate relationship.
Long held a news conference late Thursday night to address the issue, saying Petrino has been put on paid administrative leave while he investigates the matter to find out if anything else has been hidden or if any laws or rules were violated.
Long told the media that he's not sure what the future holds for Petrino as Arkansas' football coach and that other punishments could follow depending on what he discovers in his review.
State Police completed the initial investigation into the crash on Thursday but new questions have come up so the department wants to learn more about what Captain King was told by Petrino, what he knew about the crash and details about his conversation with the people who drove Petrino and Jessica Dorrell from Madison County to Fayetteville.
State police say the results of their review should be released sometime early next week.
It should also be noted that according to the police report, Captain King was contacted by Petrino or someone in the vehicle to pick him up at a location in Fayetteville after he was taken there following a motorcycle crash in Madison County. King is a security escort for Coach Petrino and stands on the sidelines with him during Razorback football games.
KNWA has obtained the 911 call from a man who saw Petrino and Dorrell on the side of the road after their accident Sunday evening and here's a portion of his conversation with police.
"It's a motorcycle, a single vehicle accident as near as I know," the caller said. "The rider and the passenger of the motorcycle declined us to call 911. They got into a vehicle and headed toward the hospital."
The caller went on to say that Petrino and the woman he was with got into a white SUV that looked like a Jeep Cherokee. As KNWA found out, that type of vehicle is similar to the one driven by Benjamin Williams and Jody Stewart -- the people from Ozark who drove Petrino to Fayetteville according to police.
While Williams and Stewart declined an on-camera interview, they did speak to one of our reporters outside their home Thursday night. According to our reporter and other journalists who were also there, Benjamin and Jody said Petrino was alone at the accident scene and they never saw a woman with him. They denied giving a ride to Jessica Dorrell, despite the fact that the police report says they actually did and a 911 caller claims he saw Petrino and a woman get in their vehicle.
When asked where they took the coach, Benjamin Williams said he was dropped off at a hospital in Fayetteville. But Jody quickly interrupted -- saying that's not true.
Benjamin then said he forgot where they took Coach Petrino because there was so much blood in their vehicle that he became sick at his stomach and was forced to get out of the car near the town of Elkins. Benjamin also added that Jody kept driving and he has no idea where she took Coach Petrino.
However, the police report states that they did drive Petrino to a location in Fayetteville where 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell got into her own vehicle and drove away. At some point, Captain King was called and asked to come get Coach Petrino and take him to an area hospital.
In the days following the accident, the University of Arkansas sent out a news release saying Coach Petrino had a motorcycle accident and was alone on the bike. Following a news conference Tuesday, Petrino was specifically asked if he was the only person on the motorcycle and he answered by saying yes.
However, the story quickly changed when state police issued its report Thursday afternoon -- showing that Petrino was riding with his co-worker and former University of Arkansas Volleyball player Jessica Dorrell.
Petrino issued a statement apologizing for lying to the school and Athletic Director Jeff Long and admitted to having a previous inappropriate relationship.
Long held a news conference late Thursday night to address the issue, saying Petrino has been put on paid administrative leave while he investigates the matter to find out if anything else has been hidden or if any laws or rules were violated.
Long told the media that he's not sure what the future holds for Petrino as Arkansas' football coach and that other punishments could follow depending on what he discovers in his review.
