NewsChannel 7 broke the details Friday of three Byrnes High School football players, who have been ticketed with possessing drug paraphernalia and suspended from the nationally ranked team.
Duncan Police say 17 year old senior defensive back Riyahd Richardson, 17-year-old senior defensive back Luke Scott, and 17-year-old junior defensive back Devin Miller were found at a nearby apartment complex, during school hours Thursday, with drug paraphernalia. The charge is a misdemeanor, a violation of a city ordinance, and carries a fine of $470.00.
A resident of the Hampton Ridge Apartments called police after spotting the vehicle parked in the apartment's parking lot. When an officer arrived, he asked the driver to roll down the window. That is when the officer noticed the smell of marijuana, according to police. Chief Cothran says the teenagers had rolling papers in the vehicle, but no marijuana was discovered, the officers believing the three had smoked all the marijuana that was in their possession. Only Scott had permission to be off school property at that time of day, according to Cothran.
Richardson and Miller are starters for the team.
Richardson has also been dropped from next week's North-South All-Star game at the request of Byrnes, according to Keith Richardson (not related) who oversees the contest.
Keith Richardson says that Chester's CJ Turner replaces Riyahd Richardson on the North Roster.
Spartanburg School District Five Superintendent Dr. Scott Turner confirm the suspensions of three players from the team for a violation of team rules.
Fans of the team in Duncan are taking the news pretty hard.
“Anytime you lose a player its going to hurt the team and its going to hurt them emotionally because they're not going to have the three that they were counting on,” Lane Sims, of Sims Barbecue, said.
The Rebels face Sumter for the AAAA Division I championship on Saturday at 3:00pm at Clemson Memorial Stadium.
The families of the three players declined to comment, when we visited their homes Friday evening.
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