Four Missouri athletes arrested and suspended

The Columbia Tribune is reporting that Missouri freshman basketball players Wes Clark and Shane Rector and football players Aarion Penton and Shaun Rupert were arrested Saturday night on marijuana charges...

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Columbia Police officers pulled over a car driven by Rupert at 11:32 p.m. after seeing that the rear license plate was expired, Officer Latisha Stroer said. The traffic stop took place in the Commerce Bank parking lot at 501 E Broadway.

Officers detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle as they made contact with Rupert, Stroer said. They located a Swisher Sweet cigarillos package containing a substance that field-tested positive for marijuana.

Rupert, Penton, who was riding in the passenger seat, and Clark and Rector, who were riding in the back seat, were all arrested. Each was issued a summons and released.

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Penton, a cornerback from St. Louis, MO, and Rupert, a third-string free safety from Montgomery, AL have both been "suspended immediately per athletic policy, pending internal review" according to Football team spokesman Chad Moller.

Mizzou basketball coach Frank Haith told reporters this afternoon that both Clark and Rector have been suspended for a "violation of a team rule."

The 22-11 Tigers will play Davidson in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night.