Pacers' Williams Faces Marijuana Charge

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers forward Shawne Williams declined comment as he left the Marion County Jail Tuesday afternoon after an arrest on a marijuana possession charge.

Indianapolis police said Williams, 21, was pulled over at about 1 a.m. Tuesday at 29th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive after an officer saw him make an improper lane change.

Police said Williams' 2007 Cadillac Escalade had an expired license plate. He also faces a charge of driving without a license and failure to signal a lane change.

A police officer said he smelled burnt marijuana in the car and that Williams did not have a driver's license. When questioned, the Memphis, Tenn., native gave police a Tennessee-issued identification card, officers said.

Two passengers in Williams' car were also arrested. Roosevelt Rollins, 21, faces a marijuana possession charge. Roderick Helton, 32, faces charges of possession of a handgun without a license and receiving stolen property.

Williams told police that he did not know marijuana or a handgun were in the car. Police said Helton tried to cover the gun with his knees.

Like Williams, Rollins and Helton are from Memphis, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said the team was "extremely disappointed concerning the arrest of Shawne Williams."

"Although the legal process needs to be followed, we will not accept Shawne putting himself in this position, regardless of innocence or guilt," read the statement. "We as an organization in general and our players in particular have to take into consideration our accountability to our fans in our decision-making. This was clearly a bad and unacceptable decision. We will be meeting with Shawne at some point to discuss this and pursue any disciplinary action we can take."

The Pacers selected Williams with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft.

The Marion County prosecutor's office has asked a court for three days to file charges in the case.