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IU point guard Xavier Johnson arrested for reckless driving, resisting law enforcement

(Photo supplied/Indiana University)

Indiana University point guard Xavier Johnson has been arrested for reckless driving and resisting law enforcement, according to Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain.

Just after 3 a.m. Sunday, a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy saw a Dodge Charger going 90 mph on North Walnut Street, a main thoroughfare through downtown Bloomington.

The deputy tried to pull the Charger over, but the driver refused to stop. The car drove into a parking lot at an apartment complex and ran a stop sign while trying to get away from the deputy.

The car eventually stopped and the deputy saw Johnson, 22, get out of the car and switch seats with a passenger, identified by police as Lee Marrioti.

The two men switched places to give the impression that Marrioti was the person driving away from police instead of Johnson, according to Sheriff Swain.

Johnson was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Corrections Center. He faces a felony charge of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. He has since been released from jail.

Marrioti was charged with false informing for saying that he was the driver of the car. He has also been released from jail.

IU basketball player Parker Stewart was also in the car at the time, but was not charged, Swain says. Stewart declined to tell police who was driving the car during the pursuit.

IU’s athletic department issued a statement following Johnson’s arrest:

Indiana University Athletics and the men’s basketball program are aware of the charges involving Xavier Johnson.

IU Athletics will continue to gather facts, cooperate with and monitor the legal process, and take further action as the evolving situation warrants.

Johnson transferred from Pittsburgh to Indiana University this past season, helping lead the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

His play down the stretch of the season ranked among the best point guards in the Big Ten conference, highlighted by back-to-back 24 point performances against Maryland and Minnesota and a 20 point effort in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals versus Iowa.

This past season, Johnson was one of five Hoosiers players suspended for a game in mid-February at Northwestern for a violation of team rules.

Johnson is expected to be the Hoosiers’ starting point guard next season for head coach Mike Woodson’s second season with the team. He has one year left to play with IU.

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3 comments

Charles U Farley April 4, 2022 at 9:58 am

Take a dumb kid, make him think he is a superstar because he can bounce a ball, give him free college that he doesn’t have to work at, a hotrod, and very little accountability in life outside of bouncing said ball, then when he gets arrested for doing something stupid we can all act shocked.

The NBA is trash, and now the rot has spread down to collegiate sports. High school sports are next, assuming the transgender idiocy doesn’t kill them first.

Reply
Thomas Ryck April 4, 2022 at 10:13 am

You forgot to mention that he will get off with the minimum that the college can dole out. The college needs to get as many wins as possible to keep the money rolling in. Not the last time we will hear about his off court actions either. If he gets picked up by a major team, well ???? More money, more free time.

Reply
Thor April 4, 2022 at 10:42 am

This shouldn’t even be ‘news’.

In other news a college kid got arrested for speeding…if he didn’t bounce that ball no one would have noticed.

Reply

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