Ad Disclosure
Mizzou DB arrested after failing to appear for speeding offenses
By Andrew Olson
Published:
A Mizzou defender has a legal issue to deal with as the Tigers get going in fall camp.
MU safety Phillip Roche was arrested Monday evening, per Eli Hoff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Hoff reports that Roche was arrested on three warrants for failing to appear in court. All three warrants reportedly relate to driving offenses and missed court appearances.
The Post-Dispatch details that Missouri State Highway Patrol cited Roche for driving 107 mph in a 60-mph stretch of Interstate 70 in Columbia on March 30.
Days later, Roche was cited again for a traffic violation. MU police report says Roche failed to obey a traffic control device on campus.
In the early morning hours of April 7, Roche was clocked driving 115 mph on a stretch of U.S. 63 where the speed limit is 70 mph.
On May 9, Roche was involved in an accident and cited for following a car too closely.
In June, Roche was cited for driving 62 mph on Stadium Boulevard near MU campus, over the speed limit of 40 mph.
Per the Post-Dispatch, Roche has missed eight court hearings for five outstanding cases.
Roche is reportedly facing multiple Class B misdemeanors for exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 mph. After Monday’s arrest, Roche was released. He was observed present at Mizzou’s Tuesday morning practice, per Hoff.
“The program is handling the situation through normal university processes,” Mizzou spokesperson Dave Matter told the Post-Dispatch.
Roche is entering his sophomore year with the program. He has three full seasons of remaining eligibility.
As a true freshman, Roche made 11 appearances during the 2023 campaign. Primarily a special teams contributor, Roche recorded 9 total tackles, including a sack and tackle for loss.
Roche’s season highlights came in SEC competition. He had a memorable outing in a road victory over Kentucky. Against the Wildcats, Roche had his first multi-tackle game, logging his first-career TFL along with a sack and forced fumble. He helped Mizzou to a Mayor’s Cup victory over South Carolina with 3 tackles, a career-high, on homecoming.
Mizzou is just under a month out from kicking off the 2024 season. The Tigers open with Murray State on Thursday, Aug. 29. The game is set for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
