Clemson wide receiver Noble Johnson was arrested on Feb. 19 for a misdemeanor reckless driving charge following his involvement in a car crash five days prior that resulted in him and two others being transported to the hospital, as first reported by The State’s Chapel Fowler.
At approximately 6:11 a.m. on Feb. 14, Johnson was traveling west on Perimeter Road at what police later estimated was 71 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to a Clemson University Police Department report obtained by The Tiger through a public records request. At that time, Johnson hit a vehicle that was attempting a left turn from Perimeter Road onto Cherry Road. The collision resulted in Johnson’s vehicle, a 2022 silver Honda Civic, spinning and striking a nearby light pole and the other vehicle, a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck, flipping onto its side.
Johnson and the other vehicle’s driver and passenger, both non-Clemson students, were transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital due to injuries, according to the report. Both vehicles had to be towed following the accident.
After CUPD had conducted its traffic collision report in the days following the accident, an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor reckless driving charge was issued for Johnson on Feb. 19, five days after the crash. Through watching video evidence, a CUPD officer determined that the speed at which Johnson was traveling “contributed to the collision.”
The driver of the other vehicle, a female whose name is redacted in the report, was also listed at fault for the accident. The traffic report states that the driver failed to yield the right of way when making the left turn, and she did not have a green turn arrow. The driver was cited for “Failure to yield (the) right of way” and “Driving without a license – (first) offense.”
An officer contacted Johnson on Feb. 19 to inform him of the arrest warrant. The report states that Johnson told the officer he was just released from the hospital. Johnson cooperated with the police and turned himself in that afternoon. Later that day, he posted a $440 bond, according to Pickens County Court filings.
A Clemson Athletics spokesperson told Fowler that Johnson’s status with the football team has not changed as a result of the accident, and he remains a member of the program. The spokesperson deferred comment on Johnson’s injury status to head coach Dabo Swinney, who is set to address the media on Feb. 28 when the Tigers begin spring practice.
As of Saturday, the injury and health status of the two occupants of the truck that Johnson hit is unclear.
Johnson’s case is listed as criminal and is being heard by Clemson University Municipal Court, according to the court filings. He has a court appearance scheduled for March 13.
According to state law, if a person is found guilty of a misdemeanor reckless driving charge, they can “be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days.”
The collision lines up with the following CU Alert that Clemson sent out at 6:21 a.m. on Feb. 14:
“URGENT CU ALERT: Due to a Motor Vehicle Accident all traffic on Perimeter Rd and Cherry Rd is being redirected. Avoid the area.”
Clemson sent out an all-clear alert just over an hour later, saying the road closure was over.
Johnson’s arrest occurred less than two weeks after his teammate, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart, was arrested for “carrying or displaying firearms (on) school property,” as The Tiger previously reported.
A former four-star recruit, Johnson appeared in four games and played 13 offensive snaps while redshirting in 2023. He is set to enter his second season with the Tigers this fall.
