By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer
Published July 15, 2005
Michigan State running back Jason Teague, an Osceola graduate, turned himself in to East Lansing, Mich., police Tuesday and was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery on a woman stemming from an alleged incident Oct.31, 2004.
Teague, a senior who is listed as a starter on the depth chart, entered a not guilty plea Tuesday and was released on $500 bond, Lt. Kim Johnson told the Associated Press.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. If convicted, Teague faces up to 93 days in jail or a $500 fine.
Teague's family in St. Petersburg declined to comment. Osceola coach George Palmer was unavailable because he is out of town on vacation.
According to the incident report obtained by the State News, a Michigan State alumna asked an intoxicated Teague to leave her front lawn. He became agitated, refused to leave and struck her in the face three times.
In July 2004, Teague was convicted of operating a vehicle as a minor with a blood alcohol level between .02 and .07. He also was arrested in January for possession of marijuana in St. Petersburg. The charge was dropped on the condition he complete a counseling program.
"Right now, we're going to wait and see how this plays out before we do anything further," John Lewandowski, assistant athletic director and director of sports information, told the Associated Press.
In three years at Osceola (1999-2001), Teague rushed for 4,504 yards and scored 50 touchdowns.
He had a breakthrough performance last season, finishing second on the team in rushing (716 yards) and fourth in receiving (219).
