Isaiah Crowell, the Georgia running back who has been dogged by disciplinary problems, took his troubles to new heights early this morning when he was arrested on weapons charges in Athens.
A Columbus, Georgia native, Crowell was arrested and charged with a felony count of possessing a weapon in a school zone, a felony count of altered identification mark and misdemeanor count of possession/carrying a concealed weapon, according to the Athens-Clarke County Jail Booking report.
He was arrested around 2:20 a.m. ET after being stopped at a vehicle checkpoint near the Georgia campus and booked at 3:37 a.m. His bond was set at $7,500.
Athens-Clarke County Police spokeswoman Hilda Sorrow told ESPN.com on Friday morning that officers at the checkpoint say they smelled marijuana inside the car.
“[Crowell] consented to a search of the vehicle, and officers didn’t find the marijuana,” Sorrow said. “There were other occupants inside the car and they consented to a search, but the marijuana wasn’t found. During the search of the vehicle, officers found a gun under the driver’s seat. After discovering that the ID number had been altered [on the gun], Mr. Crowell was arrested and charged. Marijuana was never found inside the car.”
Under UGA Athletic Association policy, student-athletes charged with felonies are immediately suspended from the team.
Coach Mark Richt wasn’t immediately available for comment.
An Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Department official said Crowell, 19, was still jailed Friday morning. Police said the altered ID-mark charge stems from a tampered serial number.
Crowell, who was ranked as the country’s No. 1 running back and No. 4 prospect overall by ESPN Recruiting in 2011, had a rocky first season with the Bulldogs.
He ran 185 times for 850 yards with five touchdowns as a freshman but was dogged by disciplinary problems throughout the previous summer.
