Penn State football player Amin Vanover charged with drunk driving

State College police on Monday charged Penn State football player Amin Vanover with driving under the influence of alcohol. According to online court records, police charged Vanover with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and accused him of operating an unregistered vehicle. Both offenses are first offenses, according to court records. Vanover, 23, is a fifth-year senior and plays defensive end for the Nittany Lions.

The charges stem from an alleged incident that occurred Aug. 8 in State College, according to court records. Statecollege.com, the received the affidavit of sufficient suspicionreported that police stopped Vanover’s car for an expired license plate. In the affidavit, police wrote that the car smelled of marijuana and that Vanover’s “pupils appeared bloodshot and drowsy.”

Vanover, who was alone in the car, reportedly failed a breathalyzer test and was arrested, the affidavit states. Vanover later underwent a blood test at a local hospital, which came back positive for THC, police wrote. According to the affidavit, Vanover told police that friends had been smoking marijuana in the car. He also told police that he did not have a medical marijuana card, the affidavit states.

When asked about the situation after practice in State College on Tuesday, Penn State coach James Franklin said he would not normally discuss internal penalties. Penn State Athletics released a statement.

“We are aware of the allegations against Amin Vanover. These alleged actions do not reflect the values ​​and standards of our program and will be addressed. We will not comment further as this is an ongoing legal process,” the statement said.

Vanover is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 2. Vanover has played in Penn State’s first two games, recording two tackles and a quarterback hurry.

Penn State has a free week. The Nittany Lions will play again at home on September 21 against Kent State. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium.

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Penn State on SI is the go-to source for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Editor Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, following three coaching teams, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.