A Howard University student was arrested on Saturday for fleeing from law enforcement and possessing a controlled substance identified as cocaine, according to a police report.
He was identified on the scene as a 21-year-old from Upper Marlboro, a town about 40 minutes from campus in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The student declined to comment at this time, and his lawyer did not reply for comment in time for publication.
In his hearing on Saturday, the student pleaded not guilty to the charges. His next hearing is scheduled for early November.
Charging documents filed with D.C. Superior Court state the incident occurred at approximately 1:32 a.m. on Sept. 6.
The encounter took place at 901 W St. NW, a 3-minute walk from the student dormitory Howard Plaza Towers, according to the report. However, Howard’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the event happened near the U Street corridor.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), a Federal Special Agent and Federal partners working on the D.C. Federal Task Force observed a black Toyota Corolla make a series of illegal turns including turning right at a red light with a “No Turn On Red” sign and turning left at a red light, according to documents. The officers stopped the vehicle and asked the driver and his passengers to step out of the car.
The driver was charged with two offenses: fleeing from a law enforcement officer in a motor vehicle and a misdemeanor for the possession of a controlled substance.
When conducting their search, law enforcement found 0.28 grams of a white powdery substance in a small clear bag that was field tested and yielded a positive color reaction to cocaine, according to D.C. Superior Court.
MPD’s police report said the substance was found inside the driver’s wallet, which was in his pocket at the time of arrest and the field test indicated the presence of cocaine base. The controlled substance was later identified as crack cocaine.DPS released a statement saying university officials have been in touch with the mayor’s office and MPD. The statement also said the Office of Student Affairs has been in contact with the family of the student arrested and is looking to contact the other students involved.
Howard Student Charged with Misdemeanor, Rejects Plea Deal
Updated Nov. 10, 2025
A Howard University student that was arrested in September appeared in court Nov. 3 for a status hearing on his federal case.
On Sept. 6 the student was charged with a misdemeanor for fleeing from law enforcement and possessing a controlled substance that according to a police report, was identified as cocaine. At his first hearing in September, he pleaded not guilty and at his status hearing, he denied the plea deal.
According to his lawyer, Roderick Thompson, if the student accepted the plea deal it would be a deferred sentencing agreement in which he would have had to plead guilty and would then be put on probation. Thompson said his client is not guilty and that there was no reason to accept the plea deal.
“Our posture remains the same,” said Thompson to Judge Robert Rigsby, the associate judge of the D.C. Superior Court.
During the court hearing with Rigsby, Thompson emphasized that his client did not have a positive drug test at lockup, has no history of drug use and is a full-time college student.
The prosecution proposed to schedule a drug test for the student six to seven months from the court date. Rigsby bumped up the date to four months.
Thompson also addressed his clients stayaway order which Rigby clarified that there was none. This means that the student is not prohibited from returning to where the alleged crime took place.
A stayaway order is a type of restraining order that orders someone not to go within a certain distance of another place or person.
Thompson is not the student’s original lawyer and in an interview with The Hilltop he attributed the confusion to a clerical error but would not elaborate further.
Before leaving court, the student was required to take a drug test.
Because the student denied the plea deal, he will now go to trial toward the end of January.
Thompson said that they must hold the government accountable because they are “alleging certain things [like] certain controlled substances.”
“The first step in holding the government to its burden is to be prepared for trial,” said Thompson.
Copy edited by Damenica Ellis
