Updated
Six Notre Dame football players were arrested late Friday night and early Saturday morning in two incidents in Fulton and St. Joseph counties.
Five Irish football players were arrested Friday night at approximately 10:07 p.m. during a traffic stop in Fulton County, Indiana, carried out by the Indiana State Police. Fulton County is approximately 45 miles south of Notre Dame.
Senior safety Max Redfield, sophomore running back Dexter Williams, sophomore linebacker Te’von Coney, sophomore cornerback Ashton White and freshman receiver Kevin Stepherson were each arrested under preliminary misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, while Redfield, Stepherson and Williams also face a charge for possession of a handgun without a license.
The 2007 Ford Focus, driven by White, was pulled over for a speeding violation and an improper taillight when State Trooper Ben Reason allegedly detected the odor of marijuana coming from the car, an Indiana State Police press release said. From there, a narcotics dog indicated the presence of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle, and in the subsequent search, officers allegedly found marijuana and a loaded handgun. The Indiana State Police was assisted by officers from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
According to Indiana state law, “the intentional possession of cocaine, Schedule I or II narcotics, or methamphetamine is a class C felony if the amount of drug involved was three grams or more or the defendant was in possession of a firearm.” Marijuana is considered a Schedule I narcotic under Indiana state law.
The arrests came just a few hours before senior cornerback Devin Butler was arrested in South Bend in an unrelated incident.
Butler was arrested outside the Linebacker Lounge early Saturday morning on early charges of resisting a police officer and battery against a police officer.
The St. Joseph County Jail booking desk confirmed Butler was arrested by the South Bend Police Department early Saturday morning on those two preliminary charges. Butler was then brought to a holding cell at the St. Joseph County Jail.
When The Observer contacted the St. Joseph County Jail booking desk again, it confirmed the incident occurred at 1631 South Bend Ave., which is the address of the Linebacker Lounge, a popular student bar located just off Notre Dame’s campus.
According to the arrest file on the St. Joseph County Police Department website, Butler was arrested at 12:28 a.m.
Irish head coach Brian Kelly dismissed Redfield from the team on Sunday and suspended Butler indefinitely. Kelly also said the other four players may face internal discipline.
University vice president for public affairs and communications Paul Browne said in a statement Notre Dame was aware of the situation.
“Any student arrested on a felony charge also faces dismissal from the University,” Browne said in the statement. “The University will determine if additional sanctions should apply to any or all of the students charged.”
Redfield was a two-year starter at safety for the Irish, while Coney and Williams each saw action last year for Notre Dame.
Butler, who started at Stanford last season, has one interception in his three-year Notre Dame career. Butler was expected to compete for a full-time starting role this offseason, but he refractured his foot over the summer, an injury that left his health status for 2016 unclear.
