ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO (KTVI) – A former standout on the Mizzou football team and NFL first-round draft pick is facing charges of resisting arrest and other traffic violations for allegedly street racing on Interstate 64.
Less than two weeks after being suspended by the NFL after testing positive for marijuana, New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was arrested in St. Charles County on July 14.
The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said officers with the O’Fallon Police Department noticed two vehicles in what appeared to be a road race on westbound I-64. The vehicles were clocked on radar three times at speeds of 122, 135, and 143 miles per hour.
Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop, at which time the driver of a 2014 Bentley Silver Spur increased continued speeding to avoid citation. The driver got off the interstate, sped through a red traffic signal, and turned off its vehicle lights.
The driver then turned into the driveway of a home in a nearby neighborhood to avoid detection, but police noticed the brake lights and pulled in behind the car.
Officers identified Richardson, an O’Fallon native, as the driver. Two other men and a 12-year-old child were also in the car.
A fully loaded handgun was found beneath the driver’s seat. Everyone in the car also smelled of marijuana.
The passengers were not charged with any crimes.
Richardson, the 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year, was selected sixth overall by the Jets in the NFL Draft. He will have to appear in St. Charles County Circuit Court in late October for his arraignment.
