Former Wallaby Higginbotham cleared over police incident
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) Former Australian test player Scott Higginbotham has been cleared over an incident involving Queensland state police after charges against him were dropped on Friday.
Higginbotham, who plays for the Brisbane-based Reds in Super Rugby, was charged in February with obstructing police after one of his friends was arrested for urinating in public.
He was expected to enter a plea at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday, but police prosecutor Kevin Carmont formally dropped the charges.
Higginbotham's lawyer Angelo Venardos said there had been extensive negotiations with police: ''He is very pleased that the matter is behind him. It's a difficult situation ... but Scott has the utmost respect for the police.''
The 31-year-old Higginbotham has played 34 tests for Australia but none since the Wallabies' shocking loss to Scotland in June.
