Ex-MSU Hoops Star Keith Appling Faces Another Weapons Charge

Romulus, MI — Former Michigan State University basketball star and current NBA player Keith Appling was arraigned Sunday on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon, just days before he faces a hearing on weapons and drug charges from a May arrest outside a strip club.

On Saturday at 1:30 a.m., Appling, 24, was driving his car when the police pulled him over and conducted a traffic stop at Hanna Street and Seven Mile in Detroit.

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During the stop it is alleged that the police discovered that Appling had a handgun under the driver's seat, according to a news release. Appling was immediately taken into custody.

The Detroit News reported that an officer allegedly found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson under the passenger seat. Cyril Hall, Appling’s attorney, says the gun doesn't belong to Appling, but rather to a previous passenger of the vehicle.

On Friday, Appling is scheduled to appear for a hearing on charges from a May arrest outside a strip club in Dearborn. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a five-year felony; possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, a two-year misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a one-year misdemeanor.

Appling, a guard for MSU from 2010-2014, played five games in the NBA development league for the Erie BayHawks. The team is affiliated with the Orlando Magic.

Image credit: Dearborn police mug shot