Florida State tailback James Wilder Jr. was charged with failing to appear in court because of a suspended driver’s license.
Wilder voluntarily turned himself in to the Leon County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday and was released on a $500 bond, spokesperson Lt. James McQuaig said Monday afternoon. Wilder’s next scheduled court date is Jan. 24.
This was the third arrest in a year for Wilder. On Feb. 22, he was charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer without violence and battery on a law enforcement officer. In April, he plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence.
Wilder was placed on probation for six months, and was directed to take an anger management course, write a letter of apology to the arresting officer and pay court costs.
He was also directed to take part in a work camp and, on one of the days he was ordered to serve in May, Wilder blew a .01 on his blood-alcohol test. He was dismissed for the day, wasn’t able to finish his probation and then spent about a week in jail.
Florida State does have a “three strikes policy,” but it’s not clear how severely Wilder will be penalized or if he will be suspended.
An FSU spokesman said Monday that coach Jimbo Fisher is not expected to comment on Wilder.
In August, the Tampa native spoke about the arrests and said he had stood before the Florida State players and coaches, apologizing for his actions.
“I definitely appreciate it, for everybody having my back and supporting me and not releasing me off the team,” Wilder said. “I think that shows how much the team really loves me and wants me to contribute toward this season.”
Wilder ran for 635 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He and Devonta Freeman, who had 660 yards and eight touchdowns, picked up the rushing load after senior Chris Thompson was injured in the Oct. 20 win over Miami.
Both Wilder and Freeman will be juniors in the fall. Florida State also will have Mario Pender, who took a redshirt last season after suffering a sports hernia injury in August.
A former Mr. Football at Tampa’s Plant High, Wilder is the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl running back James Wilder.
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