State dismisses charges against former PC player
PROVIDENCE — State prosecutors on Wednesday dismissed the charges against former Providence Friars basketball standout Alyn Breed after concluding there wasn't enough evidence to proceed.
Breed, 22, of Georgia, was arrested in April after an off-campus incident in which he was accused of brandishing a firearm at his on-and-off girlfriend as he demanded her car keys. The 33-year-old woman, who met Breed on TikTok and followed him from California to Providence, told the police that Breed had broken into her home, ordered her guest to leave, and then fled with her phone and car keys.
By the next day, the same woman told police she found her cellphone in the trunk of her guest's car and that she was intoxicated at the time of her report. She said she was “unsure of elements of her previous statement,” and that some aspects were false. The police never found a gun.
‘Lack of cooperation and insufficient evidence'
The state wrote that it was dismissing the charges based on the “complainant's lack of cooperation and insufficient evidence.”
“Since the date of the incident, the complainant has stopped cooperating with investigators. Additionally, the investigation, which included multiple witness interviews, and review of cellphone data and surveillance, has failed to corroborate the initial allegations,” the state said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Meghan E. McDonough.
Breed's lawyer has long argued that the case was 'malicious'
William J. Lynch, Breed's lawyer, long argued the charges were without merit. He suggested, before the case went to a grand jury in July, that the prosecution was malicious and perhaps even racially motivated.
“If this wasn't a Black athlete at Providence College, this case wouldn't be seeing the light of day,” Lynch said previously. He had faulted the state for delaying so long to put the allegations before a grand jury, essentially dashing Breed's chances to land at another school.
Lynch said Wednesday that though the dismissal came as good news, the “timing was unfortunate.” Breed had many schools interested in him that were hesitant to bring him onboard with criminal charges hanging.
“Alyn and his family are obviously relieved. This was terrible for them to go through,” Lynch said.
“He loved Providence and wanted to finish out his college career as a Friar. This prevented that,” Lynch continued.
“Love friartown,” Breed, then a junior, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on March 20.
Providence College suspended Breed from the team indefinitely after his arrest and the point guard entered the
Alyn Breed was arrested in April after an off-campus incident in which he was accused of brandishing a firearm at his on-and-off girlfriend as he demanded her car keys.
transfer portal in this summer, hoping to get a "clean start" at a new school.
“Alyn and his family made the decision to enter the transfer portal and withdraw from PC earlier this summer. We wish Alyn all the best in his future," Providence College spokesman Steven J. Maurano said in an email.
Maurano did not respond to questions about whether the school had second thoughts about
Breed's suspension in light of the dismissal of the charges or whether it would make overtures to have Breed rejoin the team.
Alyn Breed's basketball career
A Georgia native, Breed chose Providence College over DePaul and Alabama-Birmingham after taking a post-high school sports training year at IMG Academy in Florida in 2019.
Breed, whom teammates praised as a tough player capable of taking hard coaching, played in all but one of 33 games last season for the Friars. Known for his strong defense, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and ranked fourth on the team with 25 steals. He scored in double digits four times, including a season-high 14 points in a home victory against St. John's.