Felony Charge Against Xavier Johnson Dropped, IU Guard Gets Suspended Sentence, Probation

Following an April arrest, Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson pled guilty to reckless driving on Tuesday, and his felony charge of resisting law enforcement was dismissed.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson pled guilty to reckless driving, a Class C Misdemeanor, on Tuesday morning. Johnson's Class 6 felony charge of resisting law enforcement was dismissed.

Johnson received a 60-day suspended sentence, and he is subject to a 360-day term of unsupervised probation. Johnson must also complete 50 hours of community service, and he will be evaluated for and complete any treatment recommendations. 

An Indiana University spokesman did not comment on Johnson's status when contacted on Tuesday. Whether Johnson is suspended from any basketball games is to be determined.

This court ruling is a result of Johnson's arrest on April 3, 2022.

Dustin Dopirak of the Bloomington Herald-Times first reported on the incident that, "According to the probable cause affidavit filed by Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Moulden on April 3 when Johnson was arrested, Moulden was driving southbound on College Avenue in Bloomington from the Ind. 45/46 Bypass when he saw a Gray 2019 Dodge Charger traveling northbound on Walnut Street at an extremely high rate of speed. Moulden wrote his radar showed the Charger was going 90 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. 

Moulden wrote he turned around at Old State Road 37 and tried to catch up to the Charger when it turned right onto the Ind. 45/46 Bypass. Moulden wrote he flashed his emergency lights and siren and the Charger made a quick turn into the apartment complex at 2036 N. Walnut Street. Moulden wrote the Charger continued moving at a high rate of speed and disregarded a stop sign within the complex before finally pulling into a parking spot on the southeast-side of the complex. At that point, Moulden wrote he saw Johnson get out of the car and change seats with Indiana University student Lee Mariotti, who he wrote was sitting in the back of the car. Parker Stewart, a starting guard for Indiana last season who transferred to Tennessee-Martin, was also in the car. Johnson at the time denied that he had been driving according to the probable cause affidavit, though the Charger was registered to his family and he had the keys in his pocket."

Johnson transferred to Indiana before the 2021-2022 season, and was the starting point guard for 34 of the Hoosiers' 35 games. He averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3.

For a chronological summary of Johnson's case, click HERE.

Related stories on Indiana basketball:

  • JACKSON-DAVIS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was named to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-American team on Monday. He's joined by Kentucky's reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, Gonzaga's Drew Timme, North Carolina's Armando Bacot and Houston's Marcus Sasser. CLICK HERE
  • FIRST LOOK AT INDIANA BASKETBALL: The Hoosier Fan Fest took place on Saturday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. With a team scrimmage, dunk contest and 3-point contest, fans had an up-close look at the 2022-2023 Indiana basketball team. CLICK HERE
  • DESHAWN HARRIS-SMITH TALKS INDIANA: DeShawn Harris-Smith, a four-star shooting guard in the class of 2023 from Fairfax, Va., is nearing a college decision. Maryland, Indiana, Penn State, Villanova and Xavier are the finalists, and he recently discussed his relationship with Mike Woodson and what he likes about the Indiana basketball program. CLICK HERE

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.