Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert is facing charges, including DUI, following a traffic stop in Georgia.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Office charged Shumpert, 26, on Aug. 10 with driving under the influence, possession of marijuana less than one ounce and failure to maintain a lane following a traffic stop.
According an incident report obtained by newsnet5.com, Corporal Brennan Kersey began to follow Shumpert's white Audi A3 at 11:37 p.m. on a highway just outside Atlanta when he noticed the vehicle's taillights were not working. Kersey pulled Shumpert over a short time later when he observed the vehicle swerving from the right lane to the left lane and failing to maintain its lane after making a turn.
Kersey approached the car from the passenger side and asked Shumpert for his drivers license. The officer noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and observed Shumpert's eyes were extremely red, the incident report said.
Shumpert said he had "just left his homegirl's house" and was on his way to pickup his father from the airport. He told the officer he did not know the taillights of the Audi were not working because the car was rented.
"When asked, Mr. Shumpert acknowledged that he smoked marijuana just before leaving her house," the incident report said. "He then retrieved a brown bag of Backwoods Honey Bourbon cigars, which I observed only contained tobacco shavings and small, torn pieces of brown paper consistent with a cigar, and handed it to me."
Shumpert admitted to Kersey he was smoking marijuana and not tobacco. He told the officer there was not any marijuana in the car.
Kersey ordered Shumpert out of the car and patted him down. He told the officer he played for the Cavaliers and "was not trying to bother anyone" and he was nervous. Shumpert then agreed to take a series of field sobriety tests. During the test, Shumpert said he had just finished working out and was worried about standing on one foot and continued to question why he needed to take the tests.
Kersey explained to Shumpert the tests were needed to ensure he was a safe driver. Shumpert eventually agreed to continue the tests.
"Based on the physical manifestations present, I determined Mr. Shumpert was an impaired driver and less safe to operate a motor vehicle," the report said.
Officers searched the vehicle and located a red backpack in the trunk. The backpack contained a clear mason jar "with a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana," the report said.
No weapons or other substances were found on Shumpert or in the car. Odis Shumpert, the basketball player's father, arrived at the scene and took the vehicle.
Shumpert was arrested and taken into custody. He refused to take a blood test after Kersey told him he would need to go to a local hospital to have the test taken. Shumpert told the officer he did not want to go to the hospital because people would recognize him and it would cause a scene.
The Cleveland Cavaliers confirmed the arrest on Friday through a news release and issued the following statement:
Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert was arrested by Fayette County (GA) Police outside Atlanta for suspicion of DUI following an August 10th traffic stop for a lane violation. The Cavaliers have discussed the situation with Iman and will monitor the progression of the pending case. A court date has not been set at this point, and neither Iman or the team will have any additional comments while the matter progresses through the legal process.
Shumpert, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard, became a valuable piece for the Cavs after arriving in a January 2015 trade with the New York Knicks.
