Ex-Michigan State basketball star Keith Appling gets probation in drug case

Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
Former Michigan State basketball star Keith Appling, center, stands alongside his attorneys, Cyril C. Hall, left, and Amir I. Makled, during an arraignment May 4, 2016, in Dearborn.
Former Michigan State basketball star Keith Appling, center, stands alongside his attorneys, Cyril C. Hall, left, and Amir I. Makled, during an arraignment May 4, 2016, in Dearborn.
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Former Michigan State University basketball star Keith Appling was sentenced to 18 months of probation in a drug case in Macomb County.

Appling, 28, was arrested Feb. 8 after being stopped by police on Dequindre Road in Warren, Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer previously told the Free Press.

He confirmed that officers saw Appling's vehicle weaving in and out of lanes and pulled over the Detroit native. Appling was sweating and unsteady. Dwyer said a golf ball-sized amount — 19 grams — of heroin was found in a sandwich bag in a pocket of the car.

Appling pleaded guilty in October to controlled substance-delivering/manufacturing less than 50 grams and operating without a license on his person, according to Macomb County Circuit Court records.

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He was sentenced Monday via Zoom by Circuit Judge Edward Servitto.

Appling is to have no drugs or alcohol; be employed 30 hours a week; undergo outpatient or residential treatment; and have his license suspended for six months (restricted after 30 days for employment and probation), in addition to paying fines and court costs, according to court records.

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If Appling provides extensive proof of basketball games being played out of the country, he may travel, the records state.

Appling played at Detroit Pershing High School, then for MSU from 2010 to 2014, and had a short stint with the NBA.

In 2017, he was sentenced to jail for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting and obstructing a police officer in Wayne County. Following his incarceration, he played basketball abroad.

Staff Writer Darcie Moran contributed to this report.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Michigan State star Keith Appling gets probation in drug case