Georgia running back James Cook arrested on alcohol-related charges in Athens

Georgia running back James Cook was arrested on two charges early Saturday morning and booked into the Athens Clarke-County jail, according to the jail logs.

At 12:44 a.m., an Athens-Clarke County police officer observed a Dodge Charger with a temporary tag driving eastbound on East Clayton Street. As the officer attempted to check the tag, the vehicle attempted to “evade” the officer and made a lane change, according to the police report.

The car pulled into a parking spot and the responding officer initiated a traffic stop at which point the driver, later identified as Cook, and a passenger, offensive lineman Justin Shaffer, exited the vehicle. The responding officer instructed the two men to get back into the car and asked for identification, according to the report.

Cook told the officer that he played football at Georgia, but didn’t have his license on him. The officer then smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and when he asked Cook about it, he said there wasn’t any in the car because he had already smoked it, according to the report.

During a search of the vehicle, Shaffer told officers that his Glock Model 19 pistol was located in the glove compartment, according to the report. Police found “shake,” a term for leftover scraps of marijuana, in the car and an open bottle of Hennessey Cognac, which Shaffer also claimed as his.

It was determined that Cook didn’t have a valid driver’s license after a license check. He was charged with possession of open container of alcoholic beverage in passenger area and driving without a valid license, according to jail logs. Each charge had a bond amount of $1,000.

Cook was booked into the jail at 1:46 a.m. and released at 2:57 a.m., according to the log.

Cook recorded 308 all-purpose yards as a sophomore — 176 rushing yards, 132 receiving. As the season came to a close, he became more of an offensive focal point against Georgia Tech and LSU. The former four-star remained patient for playing time in a deep position unit.

“It’s not really waiting,” Cook said on Nov. 30. “I’m just really learning still from those guys.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 1:01 PM.