Police: Iowa State's Bryce Dejean-Jones still could face drug charge

Update, 12:40 p.m.:

Ames police officials and the Story County attorney's office are still discussing whether to charge Iowa State basketball player Bryce Dejean-Jones with a drug-related offense after a judge tossed out an initial charge.

Police broke up at a party at Dejean-Jones' apartment Thursday morning and arrested him. He was charged with keeping a drug house because marijuana was found on a dresser in the apartment, Ames police Cmdr. Geoff Huff said Thursday afternoon. But a Story County judge said the criminal complaint presented in court lacked enough probable cause to support the charge.

Dejean-Jones remains accused of hosting a loud gathering and breaking Ames' noise ordinance. Those are less-serious offenses.

However, Huff said, police could still seek to re-file the original charge or another drug-related charge if authorities think that an amended criminal complaint would provide more justification for the accusation.

Huff said he expected a resolution Thursday.

"I think we need to figure it out and get it done," he said. "Either we have it or we don't."

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Update, 12:11 p.m.

Dylan Barker, an ISU junior who lives in the apartment directly below Dejean-Jones, said he can hear loud music and voices from the upstairs apartment on a daily basis.

Barker said he knew Dejean-Jones lived in the building, but didn't know who else lived with him. The noise, though frequent, isn't particularly bothersome to Barker, he said.

"We could hear noise but we didn't really care," he said. "We're college kids, too ... they're always bouncing basketballs on the floor."

Barker said he never reported noise from Dejean-Jones' apartment, but that police were often present at the building.

A person inside Dejean-Jones' third-floor apartment did not open the door when a reporter knocked, but declined an interview.

Barker said he was not aware of an agreement in place for apartment building residents to text Dejean-Jones if the noise became too loud, which Ames police referenced earlier in the day.

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Update, 11:19 a.m.

A Story County judge ruled Thursday that Ames police did not have probable cause to bring a drug-related charge against Iowa State men's basketball player Bryce Dejean-Jones.

Dejean-Jones, a UNLV transfer, was jailed in the Story County jail in Ames after being charged with keeping a residence where a substance believed to marijuana was discovered, according to Ames Police Department spokesman Geoff Huff. That's a serious misdemeanor by Iowa Code.

Dejean-Jones, Iowa State's No. 2 scorer, was also charged with hosting a loud gathering and breaking the city's noise ordinance, both simple misdemeanors.

According to court documents, those two charges are still pending. But the third, the drug charge -- the most serious of the three -- was dismissed Thursday when Dejean-Jones appeared before district associate judge Steven P. Van Marel.

Malloy said he based his findings off the police affidavit.

Dejean-Jones, wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved Iowa State basketball shirt, sat quietly in the courtroom before the judge issued his decision.

Dejean-Jones declined to comment while sitting in a hallway awaiting a ride. He then walked past a group of reporters, declining to answer questions. ​

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Original story

Iowa State basketball star Bryce Dejean-Jones was charged with keeping a residence where a substance believed to be marijuana was discovered, according to Ames Police Department spokesman Geoff Huff. That's a serious misdemeanor, according to the Iowa Code.

Dejean-Jones, a UNLV transfer, was jailed in the Story County jail in Ames. His initial court appearance was scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday.

Iowa State plays at Iowa on Friday night.

Huff said police were called to a Mayfield Drive apartment in Ames leased to Dejean-Jones around 3:30 a.m., Thursday.

"Residents of the building complained about loud noise," Huff said.

Dejean-Jones, Iowa State's No. 2 scorer, was charged with hosting a loud gathering and breaking the city's noise ordinance, both simple misdemeanors.

"Officers knocked on the door, and when the door was answered, they noticed the smell of burnt marijuana," Huff said.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers found "a small amount of marijuana" in the apartment," Huff said.

Huff said no one was charged with smoking marijuana.

"(Dejean-Jones) wasn't charged with possession," Huff said.

The 6-foot-6 Dejean-Jones, who has scored 49 points in the last two games, averages 17.1 points a game. Iowa State has a record of 6-1.

Huff said Thursday wasn't the first time officers were called to the apartment in which Dejean-Jones lives.

"We've been out there more than five times this semester, trying to work on it – trying to resolve this (noise) issue," he said. "We've met with the residents. We've talked to the coaching staff. We've tried to solve the problem."

Huff added that an agreement was in place for apartment building residents to text Dejean-Jones if the noise became too loud.

Dejean-Jones is the third Iowa State basketball player arrested since April. Matt Thomas and Abdel Nader were suspended for the first three games of the season after both were arrested for OWIs.

Nader, who sat out last season after transferring from Northern Illinois, was charged on April 12. Thomas, who started 15 games last season as a true freshman, was charged on June 14.