Updated April 25 at 9:45 a.m.

Cameron Lard, an Iowa State redshirt freshman forward, reached a plea agreement on April 24 during his pre-trial conference, according to Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds.

Reynolds said Lard pleaded guilty to speeding and the charge of drug paraphernalia was dismissed. He will need to pay for both charges, but the amount is still unknown, according to Reynolds. 

Updated April 19 at 5:41 p.m.

Ames Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff commented on Iowa State forward Cameron Lard’s charges of speeding and possession of drug paraphernalia on Feb. 4, 2018.

Huff said the reason why Lard wasn’t arrested for this particular incident is because drug paraphernalia is a simple misdemeanor, which results in a citation and a fine, but no jail time. Huff said if there was substance in the vehicle along with drug paraphernalia it would be more likely to result in an arrest.

Huff also mentioned that the officer at the scene didn’t see any signs of impairment, allowing Lard to drive back home on his own.

Because Lard was not arrested, his name did not show up in the Ames Police press log, which is a daily list of police activities. Huff said Ames Police doesn’t release the names in the press log for simple misdemeanors and citations because he understands people make mistakes and doesn’t feel their name should be put onto these reports.

If the individual is arrested, his or her name would be released and put onto the inmate inquiry. Huff said that if people want to know the names behind any activity in the press log, it’s public record and can be released if asked.

ISU police does it slightly differently and includes names more frequently. For example, in the Iowa State April 17 daily log, an individual was cited and released for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of alcohol underage. ISU police included the individual’s name in the daily log.

Huff also questioned the coverage of student-athletes facing these types of charges being reported in the news.

“We write these reports every day,” Huff said. “No one would ask me unless it’s an athlete… It’s unfair that this happens to [student-athletes].”

Gary Sawyer, lecturer for the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication, sees why student-athletes receive more attention, which brings them to a higher standard.

“Famous names make news,” Sawyer said. “Basketball players and football players are promoted by the university and they play in front of thousands of people… Student-athletes aren’t like everybody else. They have chosen to enter into a realm where their moves are more public than that of a regular student.”

Original Story on April 18 at 5:06 p.m.

Iowa State redshirt freshman forward Cameron Lard was charged with speeding and possession of drug paraphernalia on Feb. 4, 2018, according to Commander Geoff Huff from Ames Police. The story was first reported by Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune. 

Huff said Lard was pulled over for a basic traffic stop for speeding over a 55 m.p.h. zone. After completing the traffic stop, the officer smelled an odor of burnt marijuana. 

Huff continued by saying that the officer asked Lard, who was alone in the car, if he had any marijuana in the vehicle to which Lard responded with, “not that I know of.”

Lard gave the officer consent to search the vehicle, according to Huff. The officer found a glass pipe in the back passenger seat in the door console with residue in the pipe.

Huff said Lard was charged with speeding over a 55 zone and paid $108 for the ticket. He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia where he will have a pretrial conference on April 24, 2018 at 3 p.m. and a jury trial on May 8, 2018 at 9 a.m. in Story County district court, according to records on Iowa Courts Online.

The Iowa State athletics department did not have a comment on the situation, according to a spokesperson.

Lard was redshirted in the 2016-17 season. He played 29 games, while starting 16 games this past 2017-18 season. He averaged 26.4 minutes per game, while averaging 12.6 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game.