As first reported by The Laconia Daily Sun, New England Patriots All-Pro safety Patrick Chung has been indicted on a felony charge of cocaine possession related to an incident which occurred in June at his home in Meredith, New Hampshire.
The Daily Sun’s report has since been confirmed by multiple sources, including The Boston Globe.
#Breaking: New England Patriot Patrick Chung has been indicted by a Belknap County grand jury for possession of cocaine. Arraignment is scheduled for next week. #wmur pic.twitter.com/ekfVhob7dW
— David Sakowich (@dsakowich_WMUR) August 22, 2019
Patrick Chung was indicted* on or about the 25th of June for cocaine possession. "He did so knowingly" according to the Belknap County DA's office. It was the only charge and no one else was involved. The incident took place in Meredith, NH, where Chung has a residence.
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) August 22, 2019
Jim Murray of Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub offered some details on what exactly happened at Chung’s residence which led to the indictment. “Patrick Chung’s home in Meredith had an alarm tripped for a B&E [breaking and entering],” he tweeted. “Police show up to check on the home, have probable cause to enter the home, and ultimately end up finding cocaine, leading to the investigation and indictment.”
As the Daily Sun points out, an indictment is not an indication of guilt but simply indicates there is enough evidence of an alleged crime to warrant bringing the matter to trial. The 32-year-old is scheduled to be in Belknap Superior Court next Wednesday to be arraigned on the charge.
Chung, a three-time Super Bowl winner with New England, has played 10 years in the NFL. all but one with the Patriots.
The longtime Patriot broke his arm during the Super Bowl against the Rams and underwent offseason shoulder surgery so he has missed portions of training camp. Prior to this incident, Chung was expected to be ready to go for the start of the regular season and it’s unclear if that will still be the case.
Well-respected in the locker room, Chung does not have any history of off-field issues and even appeared at a Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness in, ironically enough, New Hampshire.
A first-time charge of cocaine possession in New Hampshire is a Class B felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison and/or up to a $2,000 fine.
Whether he’s found guilty or not, Chung could face discipline from the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy.
It’s brief, but the Patriots did release a statement on the matter:
Statement from the New England Patriots:
We are aware of the reports regarding Patrick Chung. We will not be commenting while his judicial proceedings take place.— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 22, 2019
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