Ohio State freshman running back Bri’onte Dunn will not be facing drug charges after all.
Dunn was cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after being pulled over Saturday night in Alliance, Ohio, but he will only be charged for disorderly conduct and not wearing his seatbelt, according to a report from The Repository in Canton.
Dunn, 19, was pulled over at about 11:08 p.m. Saturday and charged with four different misdemeanors, including possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, a tail-light violation and not wearing his seatbelt according to an Alliance Police Department report obtained by The Lantern.
The Repository, however, reports that Alliance City Law Director Andrew Zumbar has “authorized the filing” of the disorderly conduct and seatbelt violation charge against Dunn.
“Based upon the content of all the evidence reviewed, I made the decision to authorize the minor misdemeanor disorderly conduct instead of the drug possession because throughout the entire (traffic) stop Bri’onte Dunn is consistent and denies the paraphernalia and the small amount of marijuana are his,” Zumbar told The Repository. “The paraphernalia was not found on him.”
According to the newspaper, Zumbar said the charges will be filed on Wednesday.
“(Dunn’s) statement is consistent that he denies possession of the objects,” Zumbar told The Repository. “He was polite during the entire stop. Otherwise his demeanor was unremarkable in terms of his conduct.”
According to the police report, Dunn was pulled over near the intersection of East Broadway Street and Arch Avenue in Alliance after failing to stop behind the white line.
Dunn’s car traveled past the crosswalk, nearly ran a red blinking light, and almost struck the observing officer’s patrol car, according to the report.
After pulling him over, police found that Dunn and passenger McKensey Cross had a wooden pipe used for smoking marijuana, along with less than 200 grams of marijuana in the pipe, on the seat cushions and on the floor of the vehicle.
A small amount of the drug was also found in the driver’s door pocket, according to the police report.
As originally reported Sunday night and Monday morning by The Repository, Dunn was not arrested or taken to jail, despite an earlier report from ESPN radio affiliate WKNR Cleveland that stated otherwise.
OSU athletics spokesman Jerry Emig said he was unable to confirm or comment on Dunn’s alleged incident and did not return further requests for comment.
As of Tuesday afternoon, it is not known whether first-year football coach Urban Meyer has taken any disciplinary action against Dunn, nor has the coach released a statement regarding the freshman’s run in with police.
Dunn ran for 5,479 rushing yards in his high school career.
He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Alliance High School in Alliance, Ohio, before playing his final two years at GlenOak High School outside of Canton.
At GlenOak, Dunn was honored as a first-team Division I Ohio All-State selection as a junior and senior.
Dunn, who enrolled early at OSU, ran for 32 yards in the Buckeyes’ annual Spring Game on April 21.
