Arkansas football player accused of gun, drug crimes

On Behalf of | Jan 16, 2019 | Drug Crimes |

A college football player in Fayetteville is facing a number of serious charges in Washington County, according to local sources. The 21-year-old University of Arkansas player is facing charges of alleged gun and drug crimes. If he is found guilty, he could face jail time, which could jeopardize any future career in professional sports he may have had.

According to information provided at the man’s initial court appearance on Jan. 11, a drug task force in the 4th Judicial District organized the sale of marijuana to the player through a confidential informant. This sale led to a search of the man’s home, where police say they found over 60 grams of what is believed to be marijuana, along with plastic bags and a digital scale. Some 40 pills of what police believe is Xanax were also recovered, along with a loaded AR-15 rifle.

The man now faces charges of simultaneous possession of firearms and drugs, marijuana and Xanax possession with the intent to deliver, delivery of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All of these charges are considered felonies under Arkansas law. He is set to appear again in court on Feb. 26 and is currently free on bond, though he has been suspended from team activities during the court proceedings.

Charges of gun and drug crimes of this nature carry heavy penalties in Arkansas, and the bright future of this young athlete could easily go unrealized if he is convicted of these alleged crimes. This is why it will be so important for his criminal defense representation to carefully review all the facts of this case to determine whether police were operating within the framework of due process. If any element of the search and seizure involved in this case violated the man’s constitutional rights in any way, it could seriously impact the outcome of the case, possibly leading to reduced or even dropped charges.