Pacers' Williams Charged With Misdemeanor, Suspended

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers forward Shawne Williams was charged Thursday with driving without ever receiving a license, and the team suspended him for three games in connection with the case.

Williams, 21, will not face a marijuana possession charge on which Indianapolis police arrested him during a traffic stop early Tuesday. One of his passengers -- both of whom were arrested with Williams -- admitted that the marijuana police found in Williams' car was his, the Marion County prosecutor's office said.

Indianapolis police said Williams 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.

A police officer said he smelled burnt marijuana in the car and eventually saw marijuana inside.

Williams and his two passengers -- including one who police said had a handgun -- were arrested. Roosevelt Rollins, 21, was charged Thursday with misdemeanor marijuana possession. Roderick Helton, 32, was charged with misdemeanor carrying a handgun without a license.

Williams told police that he did not know marijuana or a handgun were in the car.

Police said Williams did not have a driver's license, and that his 2007 Cadillac Escalade had an expired license plate.

Williams was released from jail after being booked Tuesday.

Shortly before the charges were announced, the Pacers said they suspended Williams for three games because of the arrest.

Even though charges hadn't been filed, the Pacers said Thursday in a news release that they were "disciplining Williams based on (the team's) rules and regulations pertaining to conduct of their players."

The suspension will make Williams ineligible for the Pacers' first three regular season games, starting with their Oct. 31 matchup against Washington.

"We are making it clear to our players and our fans that this franchise is going in a different direction," said Larry Bird, the Pacers' president of basketball operations. "Shawne put himself in a position that placed the franchise in a poor light.

"He's a good kid who made a bad decision. Our franchise is in a position now where the responsibilities, conduct and standards of the players off the court weigh as heavily as they do on the court."

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