Former Palmetto High School running back and Ohio State recruit Jaamal Berry was arrested and charged with possession of more than than 28 grams of marijuana on Thursday.

Police stopped Berry around midnight for running a stop light in a silver Nissan Altima near the intersection of Southwest 120th Street and SW 117th Avenue. Officers noticed a bag of marijuana in the prep star's backseat, according to a Miami-Dade Police Department report. The report said the bag contained about 28 grams of marijuana.

The report said Berry told police he had purchased the drugs an hour earlier and had planned to smoke them with friends. He was arrested and taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was later released on an undisclosed bond. Charges are pending, and no court date had been scheduled as of Thursday night.

Berry, who led the Panthers in rushing in 2008 in spite of an injury-plagued campaign, is an ESPNU Top 150 recruit. The Miami Herald rated Berry the second best back in Miami-Dade County behind Killian star and UM signee Lamar Miller. Berry was the Herald's third-rated prospect overall in Miami-Dade.

Possession of more than 28 grams of marijuana in Miami-Dade County is considered a felony and carries a penalty of up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Berry had not been assigned a public defender as of Thursday evening, according to the county's website.

While most first time offenders do not receive the maximum penalties in marijuana possession cases, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report shows that Berry, 18, was also arrested and charged with ''loitering or prowling'' on Dec. 23, 2006. No further information is available regarding that case, as Berry was a juvenile at the time. It is also unknown if that case will have any impact on the prosecution of Thursday's drug charge.

''I'm just going to continue supporting him and help him get through this situation and move through the process,'' said Palmetto coach Larry Coffey, who declined to comment further.

A call to Berry's cellphone was not returned on Thursday.

Ohio State University declined to comment on the arrest, pending the results of further investigation.