UTSA wide receiver Joshua Cephus has been twice accused of violating the bond conditions of his pretrial release. His attorney stated that the violations are “explainable,” and his conditions have since been modified. Cephus’ next court appearance is scheduled for December.
Court records show that a motion to modify Cephus’ bond conditions was filed on Oct. 20 requesting his at-home breathalyzer testing windows be “adjusted to coincide with his school and football schedule.” County Court at Law No. 1 Judge Helen Stowe, who presides over Cephus’ case, granted the motion, changing the windows to 5 to 8 a.m., 12 to 4 p.m., 6 to 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. The modification came four days after Bexar County Pretrial Services filed the player’s second violation of his release conditions.
The first violation, filed Sept. 11, accuses Cephus of not completing the monthly calibration of his at-home breathalyzer device. The second violation, filed on Oct. 16, claims Cephus missed tests on the device, according to documents provided by the Bexar County Clerk’s Office.
Cephus was arrested in July of this year on a Class A misdemeanor charge for driving while intoxicated (DWI) with a blood alcohol concentration of more than twice the legal limit. The elevated DWI charges came seven months after the football star rolled his car over near UTSA Boulevard and Babcock Road while coming from Privat Social Club last December. Cephus posted his $1,500 bond on the day of his arrest.
The football star was promptly suspended from the team following the Dec. 9 accident but was allowed to play in January. Coach Jeff Traylor and Cephus’s teammates have both expressed support for the player in the months leading up to his arrest.
Cephus’ original bond conditions required him to submit to random testing and installation of a motor vehicle ignition interlock. Two days after his release, Stowe approved an order that required the player to instead use a portable alcohol monitor during four windows per day if he “does not own [a] vehicle that is operating,” so long as he is not driving.
In a series of emails to The Paisano, Cephus’ defense attorney, Desi Martinez, disclosed that “[his] bond was not revoked” and that they “don’t anticipate that his participation in UTSA football will be affected.” Martinez believes that the player’s “character as a person is going to make a lot of people rethink their current opinion of him based on the current story that is being told.”
Cephus’ trial date is currently scheduled for Dec. 13. Visit paisano-online.com or subscribe to our weekly email newsletter to stay updated on the trial as it continues to develop.
