Auburn’s 2014 recruiting class, rated ninth in the country by Rivals.com, could potentially see its ranks thinned thanks to an off-field incident earlier today.
Al.com‘s Brandon Marcello is reporting that Kalvaraz Bessent was arrested early Saturday in Nassau (Fla.) County. The most serious charges the cornerback faces are possession of marijuana over 20 grams and possession with intent; both of those are felonies. A misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was slapped on for good measure.
Details of what led to the arrest and charges are unknown at this time, and Auburn has not commented on what if any impact the incident will have on Bessent’s future on The Plains.
Bessent was one of the highest-rated pieces of AU’s defensive recruiting puzzle, given a four-star nod by Rivals. The recruiting service had the Kingsland, Ga., product rated as the No. 12 corner in the country and the No. 13 player at any position in the state of Georgia.
(Photo credit: Rivals.com)
UPDATED 9:29 pm. ET: Here’s an update from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, followed by a tweet from Bessent’s Twitter account posted after his arrest.According to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper, Bessent’s arrest came as a result of a traffic stop. A 2007 Dodge Charger driven by Elbert Thornton was pulled over a Nassau County deputy on U.S. Route 1 on Friday night just after 10 p.m. for exceeding the speed limit, clocked at 58 miles per hour in a posted 45 mph zone. While performing the traffic stop, the deputy detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car.
After asking all four occupants to step out of the vehicle, a search was conducted, where the deputy seized four separate bags containing 202.5 grams of marijuana under the driver’s and the front passenger seat where Bessent had been. None of the individuals took ownership, with each being placed arrest on the same three counts: marijuana possession of more than 20 grams (a felony); marijuana possession with intent to distribute (a felony); and possession of drug paraphernalia.God knows the truth and he is going to stick with me through this if nobody else will!!
— kalvaraz bessent (@kalvarexbessent) February 9, 2014