Court date delayed for former Hornets player stopped with 3 pounds of marijuana

Montrezl Harrell’s preliminary hearing on drug charges has been pushed back another month, according to court staff.

The first hearing for Harrell, a former player for the Charlotte Hornets who’s currently an unrestricted free agent, was set for June but pushed back to July 13, according to court records. But on Wednesday, prosecutor Jennie Haymond said that a scheduling conflict with Harrell’s defense counsel had forced them to push the hearing back to August.

A Kentucky state trooper pulled Harrell over on May 12, accusing him of following another vehicle too closely on I-75, according to police records. The trooper wrote in a citation that he smelled marijuana in the 2020 Honda Pilot once Harrell, 28, stopped the vehicle.

Harrell admitted to having marijuana and “produced a small amount from his sweatpants,” according to the citation in the Madison County, Ky. case, but the trooper said he found three more pounds in the backseat.

Kentucky law allows only CBD oil for medicinal purposes, and Harrell could face stiffer penalties there than he would for similar charges in North Carolina. His arrest charge — trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana — is a Class D felony and carries a sentence of one to five years in prison, plus a fine of up to $10,000.

Madison County lies about 80 miles southeast of Louisville, where Harrell played college basketball. He went on to play professionally for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Hornets in February.

In addition to his work on the court, Harrell recently opened a sneaker store in Rocky Mount. Kickz Scoop sell big-name shoes and other fashion, marketed around Harrell’s style.