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Peyton Arrested On Cocaine Charges

By EDDIE DANIELS

Published: Jun 8, 2007

LAND O' LAKES Former Pasco High and University of South Florida football standout Johnny Peyton was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony possession of cocaine.

Peyton, 21, was the passenger of a truck that was pulled over at 4:22 p.m. for a cracked windshield. As the officer approached the truck, Peyton allegedly attempted to conceal an object, by tossing it in the backseat of the truck.

According to the police report, another officer witnessed Peyton making a hand-to-hand drug deal with a female prior to the traffic stop. During the stop, a K-9 unit searched the truck and hit on an orange cigar tube in the backseat of the truck.

The tube contained an estimated two to three grams of crack cocaine. Peyton then was charged with possession of crack cocaine and arrested.

Peyton, who was arrested in April on a parole violation, remained in jail Saturday.

The former football star was released from his football scholarship after being dismissed from the USF team in February 2006 for violating team rules. As a freshman at USF in 2004, Peyton shared the team lead with 22 receptions for 469 yards and two touchdowns. In 11 games in 2005 he had 17 receptions for 188 yards and a team-high three touchdown catches.

Peyton finished his senior season at Pasco with 40 receptions for 988 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games and had scholarship offers from USF, Pittsburgh and LSU.