Former IU guard pleas guilty to DUI charge

Former IU guard Verdell Jones III pleaded guilty in Illinois last week for driving under the influence of alcohol the night before he was to depart for Greece to begin his professional basketball career.

Verdell pleaded guilty to DUI after he was pulled over by an Illinois State trooper for speeding Sept. 2. He admitted to the officer he had been drinking and agreed to field sobriety tests and a breath test, according to the News-Gazette in Champaigne-Urbana, Ill. Verdell blew a blood alcohol level of 0.14 — almost twice the legal limit.

Verdell was reportedly cooperative at the time of the traffic stop.

The misdemeanor DUI offense will be removed from Verdell’s record as long as he remains offense-free until his court supervision is complete.

Champaign County Circuit Court Judge Mike Jones presided at the initial hearing in which Verdell pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Verdell had no additional offenses prior to the arrest. The judge approved the request of Verdell’s attorney, Craig Hunt of Rantoul, Ill., that Verdell be allowed to depart for Greece to begin employment.

As part of the sentence, Verdell will attend a victim impact panel and also be subject to a substance abuse evaluation in Illinois, according to the Gazette.

— Michael Majchrowicz