According to a citation issued by Albany County Circuit Court, Wyoming redshirt junior guard Charles Hankerson Jr. was charged with possession of a controlled substance, specifically less than three ounces of marijuana.
The incident took place at 10:32 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, when Hankerson was pulled over on I-80 near mile marker 333 between Cheyenne and Laramie.
Hankerson was suspended indefinitely from the men’s basketball team. The team has yet to give a reason for his suspension.
No one from the team was available to comment on Hankerson’s citation.
As Hankerson’s suspension began Monday, he was not present for the Cowboys loss to the Air Force Academy Tuesday night.
The Branding Iron published a story yesterday which reported that Hankerson faced criminal charges, though it did not specify the incident that caused the investigation.
In the article, the BI cited an email from Kim McClees, the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s records and data management specialist.
The Casper Star-Tribune also published an article regarding Hankerson. According to the article, the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s Public Information Officer Steve Townsend said that there was no record of an arrest or any pending criminal charges against Hankerson.
However, Lieutenant Tom Pritchard of the Wyoming Highway Patrol confirmed Hankerson is facing criminal charges.
“Yes, I can confirm that he is facing criminal charges,” said Pritchard. “I really can’t say more than that until the information is released by the county attorney.”
The Casper Star-Tribune replaced their previous story with one that reported Hankerson’s misdemeanor drug charge.
According to the NCAA’s drug policy, marijuana is considered a street drug and a banned substance. Use of the substance “can result in a loss of eligibility”.
The NCAA’s typical penalty for a positive drug test is loss of one full year of eligibility and removal from competition for one season.
If a penalty such as this is enacted on Hankerson, it will likely mean his collegiate playing days are over, as he is already a junior.
The loss of Hankerson will hinder the Cowboys as they are already without junior forward Larry Nance Jr., who tore his ACL earlier this month.
Hankerson’s hearing is slated for March 14 in Albany County Circuit Court.
