STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football senior defensive lineman Nick James was arrested early Sunday morning, Oktibbeha County Chief Deputy Chadd Garnett confirmed.
Garnett didn’t have any information on the arrest and said the Starkville Police Department was the arresting party. A call to the Starkville Police Department Sunday afternoon yielded no information. Garnett said the sheriff’s office computer system was down.
MSU released this statement: “Coach Dan Mullen is aware of an incident involving Nick James that occurred (Saturday) night, and he is currently getting more information on it.”
The Starkville Daily News reported that James was arrested at Rick’s Cafe at 1:36 a.m. for public intoxication and released on bond.
James has been arrested four times while at MSU. He was arrested for public intoxication Feb. 15, 2015. He was arrested for driving with a suspended license and disorderly conduct in Oct. 2014 and driving without insurance in 2013.
The Long Beach native is expected to be the starting nose tackle under first-year defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon. James, who was redshirted as a sophomore, has played in 34 games with 10 starts. He has 43 tackles (3.0 for loss) and one forced fumble.
MSU plays host to South Alabama 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) at Davis Wade Stadium to begin the season.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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