MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Troy Clemons, the Mountaineer mascot at West Virginia University, faces DUI charges after being stopped early Friday morning, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
He will be replaced on the field by alternate Trevor Kiess for Saturday’s football game between No. 22 West Virginia and No. 11 Oklahoma State.
A deputy pulled over Clemons around 2:45 a.m. Friday on Stewartstown Road.
Sheriff Perry Palmer confirmed Clemons “failed multiple field sobriety tests” and registered a 0.126 blood-alcohol content after taking a breathalyzer test. The legal limit is 0.08.
The university issued a statement Friday regarding disciplinary actions toward Clemons:
West Virginia University is aware of this morning’s arrest of Troy Clemons, currently the Mountaineer Mascot, for speeding and misdemeanor driving under the influence. While the Mountaineer Mascot Advisory Council gathers and reviews all the facts, Troy will not participate in any mascot-related duties or appearances, including the events surrounding Saturday’s football game. As the alternate Mountaineer, those duties will be handled by Trevor Kiess, a junior accounting major minoring in pre-law and legal studies from Elkins. In addition to any legal outcomes, Troy — as any other WVU student — will be subject to appropriate student conduct proceedings.
Clemons, a Greenbrier County native and WVU graduate student, is serving in his second year as the Mountaineer. He is the 64th Mountaineer in school history.
Kiess was chosen as the alternate in February when Clemons was selected as the Mountaineer mascot for the second consecutive year.