Mississippi outfielder charged with DUI; football player also faces charges

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Mississippi outfielder Mark Wright, who batted .311 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs this past season, was charged this week with driving under the influence of alcohol.<br> <br> Wright&#39;s arrest came less than 48 hours after freshman football player Wallace Bates pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lafayette County Justice Court to possession of drug paraphernalia.<br> <br> Wright, a sophomore outfielder, was arrested Thursday by Oxford police. He was released on bond, jail records show. Wright is scheduled to appear in Oxford Municipal Court on July 13.<br> <br> If convicted of the DUI first offense, Wright faces up to a $1,000 fine and two days in jail. He could also have his driver&#39;s license suspended up to a year and be required to complete an alcohol safety program.<br> <br> Bates, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker from Woodland Hills, Calif., was arrested on June 11 at a campus dorm room by university police. As part of his plea agreement on the misdemeanor possession charge, Bates, 19, must pay $417 in fines and legal fees, court documents show.<br> <br> Neither Bates nor Wright, 21, could be reached.<br> <br> Bates&#39; arrest is the latest in a string of off-the-field issues involving the football program. At least 10 members of the team, including two assistant coaches, have been arrested in the past 24 months.<br> <br> Safety Keith Houston, lineman McKinley Boykin and former fullback Lorenzo Townsend are scheduled to appear in Oxford courtrooms this month on separate charges.<br> <br> Houston and Townsend face rape charges and Boykin is charged with domestic violence.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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