For the third time in less than three months, former San Ysidro High School basketball star Mikey Williams has seen his preliminary hearing on gun charges postponed — this time until Oct. 10 in El Cajon Superior Court.
A preliminary hearing, when a judge decides whether there is enough evidence for a case to proceed to trial, was initially scheduled for June 29. It was then postponed to July 12, then to Tuesday and now Oct. 10.
Troy P. Owens, the attorney representing Williams, requested the latest continuance Tuesday. Williams did not appear in court with him.
“There is new information that has been released,” Owens said without elaborating, “so we need additional time to prep.”
Williams has committed to play basketball at Memphis, but the continued delays cast further doubt on whether the 6-foot-3 guard will enroll in classes or pull on a uniform for the Tigers this season.
Williams is still listed on the roster posted to the athletic department’s website, but he didn’t join the team for a summer tour to the Dominican Republic last month. Several sources said he is still in San Diego and not enrolled. Fall-semester classes began Aug. 28.
Teams are allowed limited practice hours until late September, when full preseason practice opens with five workouts per week. Memphis’ first preseason game is Oct. 29.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway told media last week that he was awaiting the outcome of the preliminary hearing before making any decisions on Williams’ future at the school.
“(We’ve) got to wait and see,” Hardaway said Friday. “They’re going see if it’s going to go to trial and we’ll go from there.”
Asked if there was a way forward while the case remains unresolved, Hardaway said: “Man, that’s — then, we’ll have to get to those next steps. We haven’t gotten to those next steps yet. We don’t know what’s gonna happen with the trial. That’s out of our hands. But he’s still our guy.”
Williams was arrested April 13 and pleaded not guilty to five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle during an alleged incident March 27 at his $1.2 million hilltop home in Jamul. Authorities say the car was hit by gunfire, but none of the five occupants were injured.
Williams was released after posting $50,000 bail. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 28 years in state prison.
When Williams pleaded not guilty in April, Owens said he hoped for a quick resolution.
“That was my goal at the beginning of this case, because there were a lot of deadlines coming up with school enrollment and everything,” Owens said Tuesday. “But we have to dictate our dates based upon how the evidence comes out. If we’re not in a position to proceed and we haven’t reviewed all of the available evidence, we’re not going to go forward with a hearing.”
Asked how this might impact Williams’ chances of playing for Memphis this year, Owens said: “I’m not involved in those discussions. I’m just tasked with the criminal case, and then I update his agents and everyone else.”
Owens said he reports to Stacey Kartchner, a senior attorney with San Diego law firm Klinedinst PC. Contacted Tuesday, Kartchner declined comment.
Williams was rated a four-star prospect by the major recruiting services after a record-breaking prep career that involved two stints at San Ysidro High separated by two years in North Carolina. He became better known, however, as a social media sensation who once had 3.8 million Instagram followers and TikTok videos that generated more than 300 million views.
Williams bought the 3,700-square-foot home in Jamul last year and was living in it with San Ysidro teammate J.J. Taylor, who committed to Memphis as well and is a freshman there now.
The alleged incident occurred just before midnight on March 27.
“There was a verbal argument about guests in the house being asked to leave,” a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department news release said. “Five people got into a car and as they were driving away, shots were fired. The car was hit, but no one was hurt.”
Three of the passengers in the car were minors, the release added. The incident was reported to authorities the next day, and an investigation was launched.
Owens, Williams’ attorney, has disputed that account.
“The initial characterization of what took place is still inaccurate,” Owens said Tuesday. “The new evidence confirms that. But there are a lot of moving pieces in this case.”
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