An order non-prosecuting two drug charges and an obstruction of justice charge against former Mississippi State University wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson was signed by Starkville Municipal Court officials Thursday, the same day a similar order was approved ending criminal proceedings against defensive lineman Nick James.
Court records show Wilson was arrested Sunday during a Cotton District traffic stop after a Starkville patrolman found a bag of marijuana located in the back seat by his foot.
He was then charged with attempting to destroy evidence at the Oktibbeha County Jail when he allegedly tried to swallow a Xanax pill, an affidavit states, but it fell to the floor.
The affidavit states the incident was “seen on camera by jail staff” and also yielded a possession of a schedule 2 substance charge.
All three affidavits obtained by The Dispatch were reported by SPD officer Drew Jones, who was also listed as the officer who filed driving under the influence and disturbing the peace charges against James Sunday.
It is not known if James and Wilson were occupants of the same vehicle stopped by Jones Sunday, since citations against Wilson were not included in Starkville’s response to the newspaper’s Freedom of Information Act request Friday.
Both arrests, however, occurred at the same location — the intersection of Maxwell Street and Cotton Row.
Both non-prosecution orders were signed by Prosecutor Caroline Moore and SPD Chief Frank Nichols, and agreed to by Judge Rodney Faver.
A call to Nichols went unanswered Friday, and the police chief did not reply to a text message.
A uniform traffic ticket denoting a DUI second charge shows James was stopped about 1 a.m. in the Cotton District after Jones heard loud music coming from James’ white GMC Sierra.
Boxes alleging “under the influence” and “under the influence … which impaired such person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle” are both checked on the ticket, but it does not note if James was tested for alcohol or any results from such a test.
In an affidavit against James, Jones wrote he was at the intersection of Maxwell Street and Cotton Row when James’ vehicle approached from behind. The music coming from James’ vehicle “shook my rearview mirror,” Jones said in the affidavit.
The Dispatch previously reported James has been arrested four times while at MSU. He was arrested for public intoxication in 2015, driving with a suspended license and disorderly conduct in 2014 and driving without insurance in 2013.
Wilson was previously charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after a 2015 traffic stop in Covington County, Alabama. The final disposition of that case was not immediately available Friday.
Court records also show a 2014 citation for no driver’s license was retired in Starkville.
Jones was also present during a March 12 traffic stop that yielded speeding and DUI charges against former MSU quarterback Dak Prescott. In video evidence presented during the trial, Jones insisted Prescott was intoxicated at the time, saying, “This is what we do (as DUI enforcement officers).”
Following an onsite breathalyzer test that confirmed the presence of alcohol on Prescott’s breath — he also admitted to having a beer before the stop — two Intoxilyzer 8000 tests performed by officers failed to record his breath alcohol level. One sample was marked “invalid,” while a second test registered “insufficient.”
Prescott was acquitted of both charges in July.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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