Former URI Hoopster Pleads No Contest

Former URI Hoopster Pleads No Contest

The Miami, Florida native was considered a top recruit when URI landed him a few years ago.  Today, he avoided jail time by pleading no contest to video voyeurism in Superior Court.

Jonathan "Sponge" Holton appeared in front of a judge today where he pleaded no contest to a charge of video voyeurism.  He received 2 years probation for that plea and had a second count of video voyeurism dropped  in consideration of his plea.  Had either victim been under the age of 18 at the time of the crime, Holton would have been required to register as a sex offender.

Holton was expelled from the University of Rhode Island last year after he posted video of sexual encounters with two female students on his Facebook page.  While police maintain that the sex was consensual, the victims say that the video taping of those sexual encounters was not.

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As a freshman at URI, Holton started 26 of the 31 games he played in averaging 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Rams during the 2011-2012 season.  He was supposed to be one of the centerpieces of which to build around for the future until his arrest and susequent expulsion.

Since being dismissed by URI, Holton has transferred to the University of West Virginia where he will play for Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers in the Big Twelve next season.  Apparently, WVU signed him to granti-in aid papers where his scholarship would only be honored by the school if his legal issues were resolved.

The school has not issued any type of statement indicating whether or not this resolution will be enough for him to receive that scholarship. 

Holton spent last season at Palm Beach State where he played in one game scoring 19 points and pulling down 18 rebounds in a loss to Northwest Florida State College.