STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University wide receiver Chad Bumphis will be fined and will make a motion to have a New Year’s morning arrest expunged from his record.
The rising senior entered a guilty plea to a charge of failure to comply Thursday in Tupelo Municipal Court.
Bumphis, 22, was arrested Jan. 1, 2012, in downtown Tupelo following an incident at the Atlanta Bar & Grill in which the Tupelo native said he was struck with a champagne bottle and suffered a neck laceration and a broken tooth. He was initially booked on charges of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness following the early morning incident.
Bumphis was MSU’s third-leading receiver, catching 25 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 2011. He led MSU in receiving yards in his first two seasons.
Court officials confirmed to The Dispatch that Bumphis’ disorderly conduct charge was downgraded to failure to comply and the charge of public drunkenness was retired during a bench trial Thursday. Police arrested Bumphis outside the establishment, where they said he was uncooperative with officers.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to The Dispatch that Bumphis’ arrest occurred at 1:31 a.m. in Tupelo and he was released nearly an hour later after being booked on the two charges.
Bumphis will pay a $234 fine within the next 30 days, according to reports in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
MSU coach Dan Mullen said during the spring workouts that Bumphis’ issue will be handled as a in-house punishment not made to the public. The pending nature of the case allowed Bumphis to participate in MSU’s spring practices.
On New Year’s Day, MSU spokesperson Joe Galbraith released this statement after Bumphis’ arrest.
“We will handle this the way we would any other incident, especially
a situation where there are differing accounts,” Galbraith said. “The team is expected back next Sunday, classes begin Monday, and we will continue to assess the situation.”
According to reports in the Daily Journal, Bumphis’ attorney will move to have Bumphis’ record expunged in the next six months.
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