Attorney: Ole Miss signee will be indicted Friday

JACKSON, Miss. — The attorney for Mississippi signee Jamar Hornsby said it appears his client will be indicted Friday on charges of felony aggravated assault and petit larceny.

Steve Farese Sr. said Wednesday that he expects a grand jury indictment to be handed up in a court hearing scheduled for Friday.

“We would enter a plea of not guilty,” Farese said.

The 22-year-old safety is accused of beating a man in Starkville on March 1 after a fender bender in a McDonald’s drive-through. Police said he used brass knuckles in the alleged attack and took a small amount of money.

The charges came while Hornsby was still on probation in Florida following his conviction of misdemeanor credit card fraud in December 2007. He pleaded guilty to using the card of a dead woman and paid $9,000 in restitution and court costs as part of a plea deal.

Hornsby, of Jacksonville, Fla., is out on $15,000 bond and faces 20 years in prison on the aggravated assault charge if convicted. He also could serve four years if he fails to complete probation.

Urban Meyer kicked him off the Florida team following his fraud arrest, but he got a second chance when Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt signed the 6-3, 215 pound player to a national letter of intent after he played a year at a Mississippi junior college.

Farese said Hornsby could request a speedy trial after the expected indictment is unveiled, but that it is unlikely the matter would be settled in time for football season. The Rebels report to campus Aug. 8 and play their first game Sept. 6 at Memphis.

Nutt has not yet decided whether Hornsby will be allowed to join the team, though available scholarships are limited as the Rebels finalize their roster.

“I’m going to wait ’til Friday,” Nutt said. “I told everyone I’m waiting, gathering all the facts, before I make a decision.”

Farese said his client understands the seriousness of the charges against him and denies using a weapon in the alleged attack.

“Absolutely that will be refuted to the Nth degree,” Farese said.

Hornsby played one season with the Gators before being dismissed. He played in eight games and had five tackles, but was suspended for five games for selling his complimentary tickets, a violation of NCAA rules. He had 111 tackles and two interceptions last season for East Mississippi Community College and was named the MVP of the Mississippi junior college northern region.