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Indiana's Hanner Mosquera-Perea Arrested For OWI

Indiana sophomore forward arrested after an OWI. What happened and how will it impact Indiana?

By Thomas Beindit

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Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana fans thought that the loss to Penn State would be the worst news of the week.  They can't be so sure after it was announced that sophomore forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea was arrested for an OWI (operating while intoxicated) early Friday morning.  Here is what the IndyStar had to report on the issue:

"According to an IU Police Department report, read by Lt. Craig Monroe, Mosquera-Perea was driving south on Dunn Street at just past 3 a.m.

An officer noticed that his car had its left turn signal on while waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Dunn Street and Third Street --- an intersection where a left turn would be the wrong way on a one-way street. When the light changed, the officer observed Mosquera-Perea's car roll slowly through the intersection, according to the report, read by Monroe.

Once through the intersection, the officer observed the car moving slowly, and it struck a curb. Mosquera-Perea was pulled over at the 1200 block of Atwater Avenue, according to the report.

The officer detected the odor of alcohol and administered a field sobriety test and Mosquera-Perea agreed to a breathalyzer test as well, according to the report.

After submitting to a chemical test, Mosquera-Perea was charged and taken to the jail. As of 9:15 a.m., Mosquera-Perea was still in custody." - IndyStar

Clearly, not all the facts are known yet and it's important that fans take a step back and try to avoid speculating on what is not know or will never be known about the situation.  Along with this, at the end of the day, it is important to remember that this situation could have legal ramifications for years for Mosquera-Perea.  This is a serious situation.  Having said that, there are also going to be impacts on Indiana's team and they merit at least some discussion.

The big question will be his status this season.  Tom Crean answered many of these questions when he announced via Twitter that Mosquera-Perea would be suspended indefinitely:

Who knows when exactly Crean will announce a more definite suspension, but it seems logical that it would come after this weekend when the Hoosiers return to Bloomington and possibly even after charges officially come down (assuming they do).  This process could not only take the weekend, but there's a good chance it could take a good deal longer.  On the same note, it could be months before this entire process is resolved so do not expect anything to be instantly resolved.

For the team, this is not the biggest loss, but still important.  Mosquera-Perea played in every game this season, but he was not putting up major minutes.  In fact, the most minutes he has played all season was just 15 back in January.  Still though, he was being used and somebody will have to step up and cover those minutes, at least for the near future.  For a Hoosier team still recovering from the Luke Fischer transfer, that is not good news.  There will be even more pressure on guys like Noah Vonleh and Jeremy Hollowell.

One thing that does seem likely is that this should not be the end of Mosquera-Perea.  Crean issued a statement on the event and it at least seems like he will remain on the team and that Indiana will support him:

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