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A former Coastal Carolina football player was arrested. Here’s what we know

A former CCU football player was arrested Jan. 31, 2024. Photo originally taken Sept. 28, 2023.
A former CCU football player was arrested Jan. 31, 2024. Photo originally taken Sept. 28, 2023. jlee@thesunnews.com

Editor’s Note: The guilty plea for domestic violence in the second degree was dismissed after Tanner Branson completed a treatment court program. (Updated 1:39 P.M. Oct. 1, 2024)

A former member of the 2022 Coastal Carolina football team is in custody after a Jan. 31, 2024 evening arrest.

Tanner Branson was charged with allegedly trespassing on another’s land without permission, according to Horry County Bookings and Releases. As of Sept. 25, 2024, those charges no longer appear on Horry County Bookings and Releases.

Branson was booked by the Coastal Carolina Police Department at 5:41 p.m. Jan. 31, 2024.

CCUPD Administrative Captain Matthew Crawford declined to provide the police report of the incident, instead referring The Sun News to the University’s FOIA system.

This is not Branson’s first arrest. A native of Eugene, Ore., Branson was previously arrested by the Conway Police Department for burglary and domestic violence in the first and second degree June 1, 2023. He was released Aug. 21, 2023, according to Horry County Bookings and Releases.

The burglary charge was dismissed Dec. 20, 2023, according to the Horry County 15th Judicial Circuit Public Index. The domestic violence in the first-degree charge was also dismissed Dec. 20, 2023, but Branson pled guilty to domestic violence in the second degree Dec. 6, 2023, according to the Horry County 15th Judicial Circuit Public Index. Branson’s sentence was suspended to treatment court level one, according to the Horry County 15th Judicial Circuit Public Index.

According to Horry County Court Records and documents provided by Branson’s family, the guilty plea for domestic violence in the second degree was voided after Tanner Branson completed a treatment court program.

Branson was a member of CCU’s football team as a redshirt sophomore wide receiver during the 2022 season but did not see the field.

Branson was not on CCU’s 2023 roster, and CCU Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations Rixon Lane said Branson was no longer on the team to his knowledge.

This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 11:04 AM.

Ben Morse
The Sun News
Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.
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