FULTON COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) Former Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Stepherson was back in court Thursday on probation violation charges in Fulton County.
The judge asked him if he admits or denies violating his probation, which stems from an August 2016 arrest for marijuana.
Stepherson said he denies it.
Stepherson has since been arrested in St. Joseph, Marshall and Whitley counties on separate charges.
As part of his plea agreement, Stepherson also had to subject to random drug tests. The judge said Stepherson failed one of those tests in December.
The Fulton County judge denied Stepherson’s bond request, so he remains in jail there. In fact, the judge walked out of the courtroom before the request could even be finished.
He’s due back in court on March 13.
Stepherson was originally arrested for possession of marijuana in August of 2016 when he and four other teammates were pulled over in Fulton County. In March, Stepherson entered a plea to have his charges removed as long as he could stay out of trouble for one year. In June, the court accepted that plea for what’s known as a conditional discharge.
But the former Irish wide receiver, who was kicked off the football team in January, has not stayed out of trouble.
On December 14, Stepherson was pulled over in Marshall County. He was later charged with possession of marijuana, speeding, and no valid driver’s license. The next day, he was arrested for shoplifting a pair of sweatpants from Macy’s at the University Park Mall in Mishawaka. He was picked up walking out of the store allegedly wearing a stolen $59 pair of Nautica sweatpants he did not purchase. He’s been charged with conversion, a class A misdemeanor, from this incident. Both of those incidents were first reported by WNDU.
In late January, Stepherson was arrested again for possession of marijuana, this time in Whitley County.
He still faces charges for possession of marijuana in Marshall and Whitley counties as well as the theft charge out of St. Joseph County.
Despite the August arrest last year, Stepherson did not sit out a single game in 2016. He finished 2nd on the team in receiving.
While it was never acknowledged by Notre Dame, Stepherson was suspended for the first four games of 2017 for what sources tell NewsCenter 16 was a violation of team rules. He eventually returned to action and became one of Notre Dame’s most reliable wide receivers, catching a team high five touchdowns during the most recent football season. Stepherson started three games, catching 19 total passes for 359 yards.