East Carolina running back Jonathan Williams is facing criminal charges for the second time in the last six months.A report surfaced Tuesday that Williams, the Pirates' leading rusher, was arrested on Oct. 5 by the Greenville Police Department for resisting an officer after a domestic call.
He was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 5.
The arrest comes on the heels of Williams' DWI arrest in early April.
Coach Skip Holtz said he learned of the latest incident in a letter from athletic director Terry Holland on Monday afternoon.
"We have just been made aware of the situation and we are certainly going to gather facts from an internal standpoint and let the judicial system take its course," Holtz said. "Any charge filed against an ECU football player is something that we take very seriously, but since this is a legal matter, any further comment on our part would be inappropriate at this point."
WITN Channel 7 out of Washington also reported Tuesday that Williams is being investigated for another incident that occurred in Greenville this weekend.
Holtz said he was unaware of that incident, but reiterated that ECU plans to look into Williams' legal issues.
"I've had very little time to sit down and evaluate the facts," said Holtz following Tuesday's practice. "Once I get a chance to evaluate the facts, we'll sit down and take a look at where we go from there."
Williams was not at practice Tuesday and isn't likely to rejoin the team until East Carolina conducts an internal investigation into the incidents.
"Our basic expectation for every member of our program has always been that they must earn the right to represent East Carolina University on the football field every week and that they will be held accountable for their actions on and off the field," Holtz said. "Any player charged with a crime will not represent ECU in any manner until cleared to do so by university and athletic department administrators."
The 20-year old Williams made his first career start against Virginia six days after the Oct. 5 incident and rushed for 95 yards.
On Saturday, he had a career-high 108 yards and a touchdown in the Pirates' victory over Memphis.
Williams is the second offensive starter to be disciplined by ECU this month.
In early October, Jamar Bryant, the Pirates' leading receiver in 2007, was suspended indefinitely by East Carolina for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
"It's not a distraction," sophomore running back Norman Whitley said. "Everybody out here is a grown man and knows that there are consequences for your actions. Those guys slipped up and they've got to learn from their mistakes. We've all got to learn from their mistakes."
