Ole Miss' Nkemdiche charged with marijuana possession
OXFORD - Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has been charged with possession of marijuana following an incident at an Atlanta-area hotel last Saturday night.
The Atlanta Police Department said in a report that it found approximately seven rolled marijuana cigarettes in a hotel room tied to him at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.
Members of the GI Squad, Narcotics Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded to the hotel following a 911 call about an injured person, which was Nkemdiche. An APD report released Sunday afternoon said Nkemdiche fell down an approximately 15-foot wall.
Nkemdiche is stable, suspected marijuana found
Nkemdiche was conscious and breathing when police responded and was in stable condition when taken to a local hospital, according to the report.
A staffer at the local hospital — which was Grady Memorial, according to the report — said no one with a last name of Nkemdiche had been a patient, though patients can request to have their names removed from the public registry.
Members of the APD arrived last Saturday night to find members of fire rescue administering aid to Nkemdiche, according to a report released Monday morning. The report added “several associates” of Nkemdiche’s were around him but didn’t know what had happened.
“Apparently, Mr. Nkemdiche went through the window of room 422 and onto the ledge,” the report read. “It is undetermined why or how, Mr. Nkemdiche made it over the two ledges onto the ground below. Neither Mr. Nkemdche nor his associates would provide this information.”
A person identified as Lt. Hunt went to the hotel room to gather clues, according to the report.
Freeze: Nkemdiche's status for Sugar Bowl uncertain
“No one was inside of the room at that point in time,” the report read. “I immediately noticed that one of the double pane windows was busted out. In plain sight on the table adjacent to the window, I saw approximately 7 rolled marijuana cigarettes, rolled in Cigarillo Blunt papers.
“The room was in complete disarray. Inv. Kornbacher served a search warrant of the room and collected any/all illegal contraband. During the course of his investigation, Inv. Kornbacher was able to create a nexus between the room and Mr. Nkemdiche, thus linking him to the marijuana. Nkemdiche was now charged with possession of marijuana (city). The investigation continues.”
Nkemdiche’s status for the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 (7:30 p.m., ESPN) against Oklahoma State remains uncertain. Coach Hugh Freeze has a previously scheduled press conference on Monday afternoon.
“We are still learning about the matter, but obviously Robert's well-being is our greatest concern,” Freeze said in a statement released Sunday afternoon.
Nkemdiche’s older brother, Denzel Nkemdiche, was hospitalized for an undisclosed reason last month. Freeze said last week that he doesn’t expect the elder Nkemdiche, a senior linebacker who missed the team’s past two games, to participate in the Sugar Bowl.
Contact Daniel Paulling at dpaulling@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @DanielPaulling on Twitter.