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Ben Wallace is facing a felony for carrying a concealed weapon in his Escalade after being pulled over for drunken driving.
Detroit Pistons big man Ben Wallace was arrested in Bloomfield Township. The NBA veteran is facing charges for suspicion of drunken driving as well carrying a concealed weapon.
The 37-year-old was pulled over in his 2007 Cadillac Escalade at 3 a.m. Saturday morning for erratic driving and, after field sobriety tests, he was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The officers then searched his car, according to a press release issued by the police department, and found an unloaded pistol in a backpack in the "passenger compartment" of the vehicle.
Wallace was arraigned on a 93-day misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and a 5-year-felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, police said in the press release. He was released on $5,000 bond
Wallace had been considering retirement this offseason, though it was unclear whether that was still the plan in light of the current NBA lockout. Either way, this isn't a good look for one of the best rebounding defenders to play in the NBA in some time.
Ben Wallace Claims Illegally Concealed Gun Is Registered To Wife
Ben Wallace claimed that gun found in his backpack during his arrest early Sunday morning was registered to his wife, according to the police report. Wallace reportedly said that he carried the gun on his road trip from Virginia to Michigan as protection. When he went out with his buddies for some drinks, he forgot that the unloaded gun was still in his possession. According to the report, Wallace was remorseful.
Wallace was arrested by Officer Thomas Smyly, who noticed that Wallace "drove over the fog line on the right multiple times." Smyly noticed an odor of intoxicants once he pulled the car over. He slapped two sets of cuffs to accommodate Wallace's large frame after the big man failed a breath test.
Wallace has been eagerly waiting out the lockout. With business held up, his future with the Detroit Pistons and in the NBA remains in limbo.
For more on Wallace and the Pistons, head over to the SB Nation blog Detroit Bad Boys.
Sep 29 2:09p by Louis Bien - 1 comment