Former Illini Richmond Arrested on Weapons, Assault Charges

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 9, 2011 8:30PM

The story of former Illinois basketball player Jereme Richmond took a dark turn this afternoon. The onetime Illinois Mr. Basketball was arrested yesterday in Waukegan for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, battery, possession of a firearm and assault.

CBS Chicago, which was the first to report the story, said Richmond and three other men were arrested on the 3000 block of Golfmoor in Waukegan near the home of a woman he may have dated, started yelling at her parents and making threats. One of the threats Richmond allegedly made was, "You looking for me? I’m here now! I’m gonna shoot your ass!" A .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun was found in the car Richmond was in. Richmond's bond was set at $100,000.

Richmond declared for the NBA Draft in June after a freshman season at Illinois where he made more of an impact off the court than on. He was suspended for the Illini's two NCAA tournament games for violating the school's athletic code and took a one-game leave of absence during the season to attend to personal matters. Richmond was also allegedly involved in a fight with a teammate after a game during the Big Ten tournament.

Those behavioral issues and his meager numbers (which were enough to merit Big Ten All-Freshman team honors) led to Richmond not being drafted by any NBA teams. Richmond's uncle later said NBA GMs were idiots for not drafting him. Illinois basketball head coach Bruce Weber said in a statement regarding Richmond's arrest, "I am saddened to learn about the incident involving Jereme. We wish the best for the young people involved and their families as they work through this situation."