DES MOINES – A former top ranked college wrestler who was recently featured on Local 5 has been arrested days after being dismissed from school.
Andrew Long, 26, is currently being held in the Polk County jail for a probation violation, online records show.
Long was arrested on Wednesday evening, two days after he was dismissed form Grand View University where he was a member of the Viking wrestling team and ranked no. 1 in the country.
Due to Long’s previous criminal background and status as a registered sex offender, Long had agreed to an extensive personal code of conduct requirement to gain admission to Grand View and on to the wrestling team.
Grand View head wrestling coach Nick Mitchell told Local 5’s Elias Johnson that Long was reportedly seen drinking alcohol during the weekend. According to Mitchell, Long confirmed the accusation and accepted his dismissal from the team.
During a twenty minute conversation with Johnson from the Polk Co. Jail, Long admitted to having at least a dozen drinks Saturday evening in downtown Des Moines. He said he does not remember getting home that night.
He did apologize to his teammates for letting them down. This is the third college Long has been dismissed from since 2010.
Long’s departure from the Viking wrestling teams came as teammates were preparing for the NAIA national wrestling tournament in Topeka, Kansas which begins today.
The Vikings are trying to win their fifth straight national championship.
