After being pulled over for speeding on July 31, quarterback Shai Werts was arrested for possession of what police officers thought was cocaine.
As it turns out, the only substance the 21-year-old was in possession of was a bit of bird poop on the hood of his car.
Charges were dropped on Thursday, according to ESPN, but not before Werts completed two days of his indefinite suspension from football for the arrest. He returned to practice on Sunday.
“I have worked with Shai on a daily basis for three years, and these charges do not reflect the young man I have come to know,” athletic director Tom Kleinlein said in a statement.
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“Shai has had our unwavering support throughout this entire process. We are glad to put this incident behind us and focus again on football and the upcoming academic semester.”
Dashboard camera evidence of the event shows a conversation between an officer and the Georgia Southern quarterback, dressed in athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
“What’s the white stuff on the front of your hood, man?” an officer is heard asking, to which Werts responds: “Bird s**t.”
“I promise you that is bird doo-doo,” he confirmed again.
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The office responded: “I promise you that it’s not, because I just tested it and it turned pink.” (When testing for cocaine with a field test kit, the results will turn pink to indicate a positive test.)
According to the original Saluda County Sheriff’s Office Report, the white powdery substance collected from the hood came back positive for cocaine in two separate field tests. Later tests proved these inaccurate.
Deputy Solicitor Al Eargle told The Savannah Morning News on Aug. 8 that the substance couldn’t be proven to be cocaine.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) tests, the publication reported, revealed that no controlled substance was present on the hood of his vehicle that evening.
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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca
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