Former Palm Bay High and Louisiana State University track star Xavier Carter, who made history by winning four titles at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships, was arrested early Monday morning in Tampa on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and failure to accept a traffic citation.
The 24-year-old Carter, who competed in the 2008 Olympic trials, was arrested by Tampa police near Fowler and Nebraska avenues at 3:27 a.m. Monday and released on a bond of $3,250. It's not clear why Carter, known in track circles as "X-Man," was in Tampa because there have been no reports of him training in the area.
While training in Gainesville in fall 2008, Carter was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. That time, police said they stopped Carter for playing his car stereo too loudly. When officers approached his car, they said they saw a loaded .40-caliber handgun in the map pocket in the driver's-side door.
Carter injured his knee in 2007 and that's one of the primary reasons he didn't make the U.S. team the following year in the 100- or 200-meter dashes. He did, however, reach the finals of the 100 at those trials. During his senior year of high school at Palm Bay, Carter became only the fifth athlete in state history to win the 100, 200 and 400 at the state finals.
Three years later at LSU, he became the first man since the legendary Jesse Owens to capture four events at the NCAA championships, taking the 100 and 400 and running legs on two winning relay teams, and the first athlete ever to win both the 100 and 400 at a NCAA finals.
Carter saw limited time on LSU's football team before foregoing his final two years of college eligibility to turn pro in track. His contract with Nike reportedly runs through the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
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