After being part of the trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets, newly acquired Atlanta Hawks center Miles Plumlee now finds himself in a tricky off-court situation. Plumlee got himself into legal trouble during August when he was reportedly arrested for possessing marijuana in Shelter Island, New York, a misdemeanor charge depending on the amount in possession.
News of the arrest was first reported by NBA writer Peter Vecsey (h/t Michael Cunningham of Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Police records from the Shelter Island Reporter confirmed the Plumlee arrest and also noted that the center put up $100 cash towards his bail.
The Hawks are aware of the legal circumstances currently surrounding Plumlee according to Michael Cunningham of Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“We are aware of the situation involving Miles,” the Hawks said in a statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”
According to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, Plumlee was in possession of anywhere between 25 grams to up to 2 ounces of marijuana at the time of the arrest:
Plumlee’s alleged violation in New York is defined as public consumption of marijuana in any amount or possession of the substance between 25 grams and two ounces. It is considered a class B misdemeanor and punishable by up to three months in jail. Mere possession of less than 25 grams, out of public view, is decriminalized in the state and punishable by no more than $100. Recreational marijuana use remains illegal in New York three years after the state legalized it for medical use.
While the charge was only a misdemeanor, a police charge is still a serious matter and could alter his NBA availability though he already posted his $100 bail. This is the second marijuana related arrest we’ve seen this offseason as Zach Randolph of the Sacramento Kings was also arrested earlier this summer on marijuana distribution charges.
Miles Plumlee has seen his once promising NBA career go downhill over the past couple seasons. The 7-footer averaged strong marks of 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign but has since seen his career in flux. He played a limited role for the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Hornets mid-season and then was again flipped to the Hawks for Dwight Howard.
Amidst all the shifting, Plumlee also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this year and combining that with his current legal troubles leaves an upcoming campaign filled with uncertainty.
