Georgia forward Donte Williams arrested for possession of marijuana

Georgia Bulldogs basketball forward Donte Williams has been arrested for possession of marijuana, the AJC has reported.

Williams was arrested by Atlanta police officers and booked into the City of Atlanta Jail around 9 p.m. on Friday, May 25. According to police, Williams was the passenger in his black Dodge Charger when it drove by and had an “extremely strong odor of burning marijuana” coming from the vehicle.

According to a preliminary police report, Atlanta police officers had just pulled into the Zone Two police station in the mall parking lot when a black Dodge Charger with the personalized license plate of “DWILLS15? drove by. Officer Sauderan reported smelling “an extremely strong odor of burning marijuana coming from this vehicle.” After the Charger parked in a space “right next to an Atlanta Police patrol car,” the officer approached the vehicle on foot to investigate.

After identifying the driver as Claude Reid, 20, and the passenger as Williams, 20, “they both stated that they were smoking marijuana earlier at a nearby studio,” police said. The men were handcuffed and police searched the vehicle. They found a small amount of marijuana in a clear plastic bag inside the glove compartment.

Both men denied the pot — estimated at 3.3 grams, according to police — belonged to them. Since it was within reach of both individuals, each was charged and transported to Atlanta City Jail, processed and released.

Williams, a 6-foot-9 junior from Ellenwood, Georgia, averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season. He could face a suspension of 10% of the season if the charges hold up. That would mean he would miss the first three games of the 2012-13 season.

Based on the tentative 2012-13 schedule, that would be the season-opener against Jacksonville and the first two games of the 2012 Legends Classic in Athens.