Columbus Police cited Ezekiel Elliott for driving under suspension, operating without a license, and failure to control after a Sunday afternoon crash before Ohio State' scheduled flight to the Fiesta Bowl.
Despite the charges, an Ohio State spokesperson confirmed Elliott's status for the Fiesta Bowl is unchanged. While some will point to this as further proof of Urban Meyer's renegade program, the reasoning makes sense when the facts are weighed.
Court records for case "2015 TR D 134190" show Columbus police officer Jerome Collins cited Elliott May 13, 2015, for driving 59 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-670 West near the I-71 interchange. Though a citation for four miles over the speed limit could be seen as nefarious, it's possible Officer Collins reduced to the citation speed to avoid putting points on Elliott's license. It's also possible Elliott sped through a construction zone.
Regardless, speeders in Ohio are allowed to waive their court date by submitting their fine through the mail. Elliott, for reasons known only to him, decided to exercise his right as an American citizen and fight the ticket in court.
Elliott, however, failed to make his May 18 arraignment, at which point a bench warrant was issued June 22 for failure to appear and unpaid fines.
That warrant was cancelled June 25 as a new arraignment date was set: July 25. When Elliott failed to report for that date as well, a new bench warrant was issued July 28.
The second warrant, like the first, was cancelled on Aug. 4 when a third and final arraignment date was set: Aug. 14.
The case never reached that date. Elliott completed a diversion program and a plea deal was filed Aug. 11. Elliott's original $195 fine was reduced to $25. With court costs, Elliott was given until Dec. 1 to pay $132 total.
Elliott, obviously, failed to those fines and his court was referred to collections, at which point the BMV filed a warrant block on the offender's license, leading to Sunday's episode. Elliott is now $162 in debt to Franklin County, which is probably a small price to pay given the headache.
For this latest episode, Elliott is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 26th at 9 a.m.
