Oregon wide receiver Messiah Hampton was taken into custody on Friday afternoon in relation to a high-speed chase that occurred earlier this month, during which two vehicles managed to flee from Springfield police.
Hampton is facing two felony counts of attempting to evade law enforcement and a misdemeanor offense of reckless driving, as per jail records. He was processed at Lane County Jail and subsequently released later that evening.
Hampton, a freshman, was added to the Big Ten availability report as a late development for the second week in a row. The Ducks are set to face Northwestern on Saturday.
According to The Oregonian, police indicated that Hampton was recognized as one of the motorists involved in an incident during the early hours of October 18, just hours following Oregon’s home victory against Nebraska. At 3:51 a.m., based on the Springfield police dispatch log, multiple officers were engaged in a high-speed pursuit of two vehicles.
No immediate arrests occurred. One vehicle involved in the pursuit was left behind and discovered near the location where Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart was subsequently arrested and charged with DUII around an hour after the event.
Springfield authorities did not name Stewart as one of the individuals involved in the speeding incident on October 18. They informed The Oregonian on Friday evening that after apprehending Hampton, they were continuing efforts to identify the other driver involved.
Recent records also indicated that Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson received a Class A speeding citation that same morning. Police did not identify Johnson as one of the individuals involved in the chase.
In his evening press conference on October 19, two days post-Ducks’ victory over Nebraska, head coach Dan Lanning referenced “an incident that did not align with our standard” and remarked that it “overshadowed the success we had,” although he did not provide further details.
At that time, Lanning mentioned that Oregon was still in the process of gathering information and intended to address any disciplinary action or consequences internally. Several players, including Hampton, were added to the availability report the previous Friday night prior to Oregon’s matchup with Illinois. The Ducks participated without Stewart (undisclosed injury, DUII) and Hampton (undisclosed reason), along with wide receivers Jalen Lott (undisclosed reason) and Jeremiah McClellan (broken foot).
This week, Hampton, Stewart, and Lott were not included in the various availability reports until Friday night, when Hampton was finally listed.
After beginning the season ranked second in the AP preseason poll, Oregon has faced three losses this season and currently sits unranked.
The University of Oregon did not respond immediately to a request for remarks.
