Alabama Top Draft Pick Arrested on Marijuana Charges

Dre Kirkpatrick of Gadsden, a star cornerback for the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 2011 BCS Championship football team, was arrested Tuesday morning in Bradenton, Fla., on a misdemeanor drug possession charge.

Dre Kirkpatrick of Gadsden was arrested Tuesday morning in Bradenton, Fla., on a misdemeanor drug possession charge. (Special to the Times)

Kirkpatrick, 22, was charged with possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. He was released after posting $120 bond.

According to a police report, he was a passenger in a truck driven by Chris Rogers, 25, an Alabama defensive back from 2006 to 2009. Police stopped Rogers for driving on the wrong side of the road. A dog detected the presence of drugs in the truck, the report said, and an officer found marijuana on the floorboard of the passenger side at Kirkpatrick’s feet.

Rogers told police he purchased the marijuana at a house. He also was charged with misdemeanor possession and also was freed on $120 bond.

Kirkpatrick told officers he was in the car when the drugs were purchased by another person, but he didn’t realize at the time what was being bought, the report said.

Kirkpatrick, a former standout player at Gadsden City High and a second-team All-America for the Crimson Tide, announced last week that he would pass up his senior season with the Tide to enter the National Football League draft in which he is projected as a potential top 10 pick.

The 2011 season was Kirkpatrick’s second as a starter for Alabama, though he also played some on special teams and as a reserve in the secondary during his freshman season of 2009 when Alabama won its first national championship under coach Nick Saban.

Kirkpatrick was rated by ESPN as the nation’s No. 4 prospect out of Gadsden City High.