Senior Saluki linebacker Victor Burnett was arrested Saturday by the Carbondale Police Department for possession of nearly 700 grams of cannabis, intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records acquired Wednesday by the Daily Egyptian.

The cannabis, paraphernalia and $937 were all taken as evidence, according to the sworn statement of probable cause by CPD Officer Jeramie Stewart.

Burnett was suspended Tuesday from the SIU football team for a violation of team rules. SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia would not specify if this is the reason Burnett was suspended, but did say the player is suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Advertisement

According to the statement, CPD responded to a possible home invasion in progress at 800 E. Grand Apt. 29A about 12:20 a.m. Saturday, where Burnett and senior cornerback Keith Suggs both reside.

A witness told CPD she saw someone enter the front of the residence through a broken window. Police entered the residence and found no one inside.

During the search, Sgt. Jarin Dunnigan observed two zip-lock bags of cannabis and the grinder in plain view in a bedroom, according to the statement.

Burnett and Suggs were notified their apartment was burglarized and returned to the residence. According to the statement, Burnett told police nothing was missing.

The door to Suggs’ room was forced open, and according to the statement, Suggs told Carbondale police $500 dollars and an ounce of cannabis was missing.

Carbondale police found two digital scales closely associated with the sale and distribution of narcotics in the residence, according to the statement.

Burnett’s room contained four vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis and $797 dollars. $140 dollars was later found on Burnett and was seized.

Advertisement*

The statement of probable cause reports Burnett was approached by someone who offered him an ultimatum. The ultimatum was Burnett would hold a package until it was picked up or he would no longer be able to play football for SIU or sell his clothing line, according to the statement. Three packages of cannabis were delivered to Burnett on three separate occasions.

“On the final occasion, [Burnett] decided to start selling the cannabis in hopes that he could make a profit and stop them from delivering more packages,” according to the statement.

According to the statement, Burnett said the packages belonged to an individual named Shakey, someone he never met.

According to the statement,  Suggs said he assisted Burnett in the sale of cannabis to prevent anything from happening to Burnett. Suggs is currently suspended indefinitely from the team, but does not face criminal charges.

“We’re trying to gather some more information about that,” Moccia said. “We’re aware of the report, but we’re trying to get more information.”

Burnett is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13.

This story will be updated online as more information becomes available.

Tony McDaniel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tmcdanielDE.