Raiders player Charles Snowden facing misdemeanor DUI charge after Las Vegas arrest
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas officers found Raiders football player Charles Snowden “passed out” behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee, its engine running as it balanced atop a retaining wall, before his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to a police report.
Blood tests showed Snowden’s blood-alcohol content was about .19%, or more than twice the legal limit, according to a report by a police forensic scientist. The legal limit for drivers in Nevada is 0.08%.
The NFL, the Raiders and Snowden’s attorneys acknowledged Thursday the 26-year-old first-year defensive end was arrested early Tuesday after Las Vegas police responded shortly before midnight Monday to a report of a “suspicious” vehicle near a busy intersection southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. He was later released.
A Las Vegas justice of the peace on Thursday revised the case schedule to set Snowden’s arraignment for next Tuesday.
Snowden’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, acknowledged the arrest but declined to describe the circumstances. The Raiders said they were in contact with the NFL.
“The club will not comment further as this is a legal matter,” a team statement said.
“Mr. Snowden will be entering a not guilty plea and we will respond in court, which is the appropriate forum,” his attorneys said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear if the arrest would affect Snowden’s status with the team. He has played every game this season, including in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida. The Raiders next host the Atlanta Falcons in Las Vegas on Monday.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed league officials were in contact with the Raiders. League policy allows Commissioner Roger Goodell to impose a three-game suspension without pay for a first offense of the league’s alcohol abuse policy.
“Subject unable to respond because he was passed out,” a responding officer wrote in an arrest report that noted the SUV was running, with the doors locked. “The vehicle had almost rolled off a four-foot retaining wall.”
The officer noted it took about 10 minutes for the driver to awaken and get out of the vehicle. The report said paramedics were summoned “because the driver could not stay awake or answer questions.”
The report did not say if Snowden told officers during his arrest where he had been or where he was headed.
The Raiders have had several players arrested on charges of driving under the influence since the team moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020.
The team and the community were scarred by the arrest and conviction of former first-round draft pick Henry Ruggs, a wide receiver, after a fiery high-speed crash that killed a woman and her dog on a city street in November 2021. Ruggs, now 25, was sentenced in 2023 to three to 10 years in state prison following his guilty plea to felony DUI and other charges.
The Raiders released reserve defensive safety Roderic Teamer in November 2023 after his arrest in Las Vegas on misdemeanor driving under the influence and speeding charges. Records show Teamer pleaded no contest in July to reckless driving, paid $1,000 in fines and fees, and other charges against him were dismissed.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed to this report.
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press
