As a five-star recruit in 2011, James Wilder and didn’t make much of on-field impact for Florida State during his true freshman season.
Unfortunately for both the player and the program, the running back is making some off-field noise heading into spring practice 2012.
According to TomahawkNation.com, Wilder was arrested recently on a pair of felony charges stemming from an incident that initially began as an attempt by the police to arrest his girlfriend. Wilder has officially been charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
Wilder’s girlfriend, Bianca Carmada, was in the process of being arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear when the player allegedly became physically involved in the legal process. From the website:Based on the site’s description of what allegedly transpired, it would seem those felony charges will quickly evaporate into misdemeanors. However, the Rivals.com FSU site had a slightly different account of how the events transpired, which appears below with our emphasis added:
As a deputy escorted the woman to a patrol car, Wilder, 19, began to tell the deputy that the woman was not going to jail. The release states that Wilder stepped between the deputy and the woman and pushed the officer. The officer unholstered his taser and advised Wilder that he would be tased if he continued to interfere.
The release says Wilder began “yelling obscenities” while still saying the woman would not be going to jail.
Wilder was then placed under arrest.
The school has yet to comment on the situation, although standard operating procedure for something such as this is a suspension until the legal issues are resolved.
Wilder last year was the No. 2 running back in the country and the No. 11 at any position according to Rivals.com. He rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown during his first season in Tallahassee, with nearly half of those yards (76) coming in a 52-point win over 1-AA Charleston Southern the second week of the season.