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UNC basketball player charged with pot possession

Durham police charged P.J. Hairston, a player on the University of North Carolina basketball team, with possession of marijuana Thursday.

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DURHAM, N.C. — Durham police charged P.J. Hairston, a player on the University of North Carolina basketball team, with possession of marijuana Thursday.

A police report also lists a nine millimeter handgun, a magazine with nine rounds of ammunition, three cigars and a rental agreement for the SUV in the vehicle driven by Hairston when stopped.

"Coach Williams and (director of athletics) Bubba Cunningham are aware of a situation that took place last evening with P.J. Hairston," North Carolina Senior Associate A.D. Steve Kirschner told WRAL Thursday. "We’re currently looking into it to gather the facts. We will issue a statement when we have enough information to do so."

Officers stopped Hairston at a license check Wednesday night on Holloway Street in Durham. Hairston and two passengers, Miykael Faulcon and Carlos Sanford, were all charged with possession of marijuana. Hairston's charge was for a half ounce of pot. He was also charged with driving without a license and released on a $1,000.00 unsecured bond.

Hairston, whose full name is Samuel Peterson Hairston Jr., has no previous convictions in the state of North Carolina but has one pending charge for speeding and is due in court in Durham County on August 2.

Hairston completed his sophomore season with the Tar Heels as the team's leading scorer.

In April, Hairston opted to return for his junior season instead of entering the NBA draft. During the 2012-13 season the guard averaged 18.2 points and shot 40 percent on 3-pointers over the final 13 games after becoming a starter in a four-guard lineup. 

Hairston helped UNC (25-11) dig out of an 0-2 start in the Atlantic Coast Conference to reach the ACC tournament final and the third round of the NCAA tournament.

Faulcon is a rising sophomore guard at Elizabeth City State University and attended Hillside High School in Durham.

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