Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen has been formally charged with two misdemeanors more than two weeks after he was arrested for suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OVWI).
Allen faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent (ACE) of 0.15 or more, according to the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY network. The receiver also faces a Class C misdemeanor charge of OVWI – Indiana state law's terminology for what is more commonly known as a DUI.
A Class A misdemeanor is the most severe level of a misdemeanor charge, and a person found guilty of such a charge "shall be imprisoned for a fixed term of not more than one (1) year; in addition, he may be fined not more than five
thousand dollars," according to Indiana state law. Class C misdemeanors can result in a prison sentence of fewer than 60 days and a fine of fewer than $500.
An officer of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detained Allen, 34, at 1:22 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30 after the Colts wide receiver submitted to a portable breath test that showed an ACE of .224, according to a probable cause affidavit viewed by the Indianapolis Star. Police officially arrested Allen later that day following a standardized field sobriety test and blood draw, and he was booked into Marion County Jail. He was released in the afternoon.
Allen's arrest came hours after he made his preseason debut with the Colts on Aug. 29 and hours before the NFL's 53-man roster cut deadline on Aug. 30. The veteran receiver made Indianapolis' opening roster through the deadline, and Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters on Sept. 1 that the team handled Allen's arrest internally.
Allen, who signed a one-year, $3.32 million deal with Indianapolis in August, made his regular season debut for the Colts in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. He caught six passes for 32 yards.
NFL's substance abuse policy
According to the NFL's substance of abuse policy, a player who admits to or is convicted for a violation of the law involving alcohol faces a three-game suspension for a first offense. The policy also says that aggravating circumstances – including "extreme intoxication (BAC of .15% or more)" – could come with "increased discipline."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Veteran Colts WR formally charged weeks after suspected DUI arrest
