Colts quarterback charged with possession of marijuana in Carmel

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been charged with Possession of Marijuana after a Carmel police officer pulled him over during a traffic stop on Monday, Oct. 12.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the officer initiated the traffic stop after observing a black 2023 Dodge Charger with an expired license plate belonging to a different vehicle. Richardson was driving a vehicle with expired plates from an orange vehicle of the same make, model, and year.

After approaching the vehicle, the officer “immediately detected the odor of marijuana” coming from the car. When asked, Richardson said he had smoked marijuana inside the car because he did not want to smoke around his children. Richardson also said a small amount of marijuana was in the car, which the officer found a small mason jar in the glove compartment, along with an opened bag of Puff Panda THC-infused gummies.

According to the officer, no other contraband was found.

Richardson was issued a citation for the expired registration, as well as a court summons for possession of marijuana. No arrest was made, and Richardson said he would appear in court.

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The Hamilton County Reporter reached out to local attorney Mario Massillamany to explain the potential reason for issuing Richardson with a court summons rather than physically arresting him.

According to Massillamany, if the officer had believed Richardson was operating the vehicle while intoxicated, the officer would have conducted a field sobriety test. As with drinking alcohol, if a driver passes the field sobriety test and is not actively drinking in the vehicle, the officer can choose to issue a court summons.

Furthermore, according to Massillamany, if Richardson has no criminal history, the court may pursue pretrial diversion, and the charges could be dismissed as long as Richardson has no other legal issues over the next year.