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An idling car in a post-office parking lot led to the arrest of a recently dismissed Texas A&M basketball player and one of his teammates, records show.
Late Saturday night, minutes before midnight, freshman guards J.J. Caldwell and Jay Jay Chandler were two of the three men in a car that two Texas A&M police officers spotted in an empty lot, according to a probable-cause affidavit released Monday.
Less than 20 minutes after the driver rolled down the window and an officer saw a cloud of smoke come out, Caldwell, Chandler and Ryan Brown, 19, were arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Caldwell, a former ESPN Top 100 prospect who redshirted the 2016-17 season, was kicked off the team Sunday evening. This was Caldwell’s second arrest in 12 months, the first after he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated last May. He also had outstanding warrants for a speeding ticket and failure to appear in court at this time of this weekend’s arrest.
The former highly-touted point guard appeared in 16 games this season but didn’t play in four of the eight games preceding the arrest. He last played Feb. 10 in A&M’s home win over No. 24 Kentucky.
On Monday afternoon, Caldwell released a statement apologizing for his actions during the last year.
“I don’t want anybody feeling bad for me, because I’ve done this to myself,” Caldwell said. “In my years here at A&M, I have learned many lessons I’m going to take with me on my journey to become a better player and most importantly, a better person.”
Between the offseason DWI arrest and another unspecified violation of team rules, Caldwell had already been suspended for five of the team’s 25 games prior to his dismissal.
Chandler is suspended indefinitely. He has appeared in 24 games, also most recently seeing time in the Feb. 10 game vs. Kentucky. Chandler played 5 minutes in the 85-74 A&M win.
According to the police affidavit, all three men denied possession of the “green leafy substance on the floorboard.” Caldwell, Chandler
