Terps men’s basketball point guard Pe’Shon Howard was charged for disorderly conduct yesterday morning.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, this story incorrectly stated Pe’Shon Howard’s injury. He broke his foot in the beginning of the season. The article has since been changed to reflect this correction.
Police arrested Terrapins men’s basketball point guard Pe’Shon Howard and charged him with disorderly conduct early yesterday morning after reportedly witnessing him “taunting” an individual outside of Shanghai Cafe, University Police spokesman Capt. Marc Limansky said.
Howard was issued a citation around 2:25 a.m., but was not held at the station, and he was released yesterday morning. When a date is set, Howard will appear in court and, if convicted, the incident will go on his record, Limansky said. The maximum penalty for Howard’s offense is a $500 fine and two months in jail, Limansky said.
Several patrons flagged down police after a fight reportedly broke out outside of Shanghai, Limansky said, adding he does not know whether Howard was involved in the fight.
“We had the aggressor sit down outside to calm down, and at that point, Mr. Howard began taunting the individual, trying to get him riled up again,” Limansky said. “Officers told [Howard] to stop what he was doing, but he continued to do it, at which point we placed him into custody.”
In a phone interview yesterday afternoon, however, Howard said he did not provoke anyone nor try to start another fight.
“They thought that I was instigating,” said Howard, a Los Angeles native. “But people around me said I wasn’t. I was speaking to the cops, and that was it.”
Athletics department officials said they were aware of the incident, but declined to comment further.
“We are aware of an incident Sunday morning regarding Pe’Shon Howard,” Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Doug Dull said. “We will have no comment on the matter until the disposition of the situation has run its course through local and campus judicial procedures.”
Howard, a sophomore letters and sciences major, was handcuffed at the scene and issued a citation, he said.
“We had intent to process him as a full arrest,” Limansky said.
Limansky added Howard was released from University Police’s Rossborough Lane station on personal recognizance – meaning police do not believe he is a flight risk and will appear at his court date when it is set -shortly after his arrival.
“He has ties to the community and he wasn’t violent,” Limansky said. “He was just disorderly.”
Howard averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 assists in 14 games this season. He missed the first two months of the season with a broken foot and was sidelined for the final month after tearing his ACL in a February practice.
Howard’s arrest is the men’s basketball program’s second this year. Assistant coach Dalonte Hill was arrested in January for suspicion of driving under the influence.
egan@umdbk.com
