Oregon freshman Messiah Hampton faces felony charges after late-night chase
The wide receiver was booked into Lane County Jail on Friday following a high-speed pursuit that began hours after Oregon defeated Nebraska.
By Mateo Thompson ·
Freshman wide receiver Messiah Hampton was arrested on Friday afternoon in connection with a high-speed chase that took place earlier this month. Two vehicles evaded Springfield police during the incident. Hampton now faces two felony counts for attempting to elude police and one misdemeanor count for reckless driving. Jail records show he was booked into Lane County Jail and released by Friday evening.
The pursuit began at 3:51 a.m. on Oct. 18, just hours after Oregon beat Nebraska in a home game. Police dispatch logs indicate several officers were involved in chasing two vehicles. No immediate arrests were made during the initial response. One car was abandoned near the location where teammate Evan Stewart was later arrested and charged with a DUII roughly an hour after the chase ended. Police did not list Stewart as a suspect in the speeding incident but stated on Friday night that they are still working to identify the second driver.
Records from that same morning also show tight end Jamari Johnson received a Class A speeding ticket. Police did not name Johnson as a suspect in the chase. Head coach Dan Lanning addressed the situation at a news conference on Oct. 19. He described the event as an incident that did not match the team's standard and said it overshadowed the victory. Lanning noted that the staff was still gathering details and planned to handle any internal repercussions.
Hampton was a late addition to the Big Ten availability report for the second consecutive week. The Ducks host Northwestern on Saturday. The team had played without Stewart, Hampton, and wide receivers Jalen Lott and Jeremiah McClellan in their previous game against Illinois. Stewart missed that contest with an undisclosed injury and a DUII charge, while Hampton and Lott were listed with undisclosed reasons. McClellan sat out with a broken foot.
Hampton, Stewart, and Lott were absent from availability reports until Friday night, when Hampton was added. Oregon entered the season ranked No. 2 in the AP preseason poll. The Ducks have lost three games this season and are currently unranked. The University of Oregon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police told The Oregonian that Hampton was identified as one of the drivers in the Oct. 18 incident. The identification process concluded with his arrest on Friday. The case remains open as authorities continue to seek information on the other party involved in the high-speed pursuit.
