Mizzou safety arrested in Columbia for speeding citations and missed court hearings

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri police arrested Mizzou safety Phillip Roche on Monday after the 19-year-old was issued three warrants for failure to appear in court on speeding tickets.

"The program is handling the situation through normal university processes," Mizzou Athletics spokesperson Dave Matter said. There was no indication Wednesday whether the team would suspend Roche, but university policy typically requires at least a one-week suspension for any MU athlete arrested.

The warrants stemmed from several speeding violations earlier in the year. On March 30, Roche was cited for driving 107 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate 70 in Columbia. Then, on April 7, he was pulled over just before 2 a.m. for driving 115 mph in a 70 mph zone along Highway 63, according to court records.

Most recently, Roche was pulled over by a Boone County officer on June 15 after driving 62 mph in a 40 mph zone on Stadium Boulevard, near Mizzou's campus.

As a result of those speeding infractions, Roche has been charged with two Class B misdemeanors for driving more than 26 mph over the speed limit and a third charge for driving 20-25 mph over, but has not entered a plea yet since he hasn't appeared in court.

Roche was released from the Boone County Jail without bail after his arrest.

The safety made an early impact through his freshman season at Mizzou in 2023. He played in 11 games for the Tigers and tallied nine tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss.

Although he mostly got his reps on special teams, he did show head coach Eli Drinkwitz what he's capable of on defense throughout the season. In MU's big road win over Kentucky, he recorded the first multi-tackle game of his career, including a tackle for loss, sack and forced fumble. In the game against South Carolina, he registered a career-high three tackles in the Homecoming win.

The Tigers are in fall camp as they prepare for the 2024 season.