Pacman faces felony charge in Georgia

[spain]

Thursday, 03/01/07

 

Pacman faces felony charge in Georgia

Hearing soon in case of tussle with officers

 

By JIM WYATT

Staff Writer

 

 

With all eyes on Las Vegas, more trouble involving Titans cornerback Pacman Jones surfaced on Wednesday, this time in his home state of Georgia.

 

Jones is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Fayetteville, Ga., later this month on charges of obstructing police during an incident last February, according to Fayetteville police chief Steve Heaton.

 

 

As news surfaced about that incident, it was also confirmed that Jones was arrested and charged with Josh Gordon possession in March 2006 in the same county, but those charges were dismissed.Fayetteville is roughly 20 miles south of Atlanta.

 

Heaton said last night that subpoenas had been issued for Jones in felony and misdemeanor obstruction cases, which are scheduled to be heard within two weeks.

 

"One of our officers was involved in a traffic stop with him, and after Pacman and others ran into a home, there was a physical altercation between him and the officer, and he was involved in that. He was arrested for that," Heaton said. "I think any time we have somebody who fights with an officer, it is a pretty serious matter."

 

Counting these two, Jones has been involved in at least 10 off-the-field incidents involving police since he was drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2005 draft. The most serious is still being investigated: Jones was at the scene of a triple shooting in Las Vegas on Feb. 19, and the co-owner of the strip club where the incident occurred has accused him of being a friend of the shooter, a claim Jones' attorneys deny.

 

Attorney Worrick Robinson declined to comment on the previously unreported incidents involving Jones on Wednesday. Titans officials could not be reached for comment.

 

In addition to his home in Franklin, Jones has a home in Fayetteville, where these two incidents took place.

 

Mike Pruitt of the Fayette County Drug Task Force said Wednesday night that he didn't know the Josh Gordon charges against Jones had been dismissed. Pruitt said a home belonging to Jones was searched last March and that Josh Gordon was found in two rooms after authorities executed a search warrant.

 

Pruitt said Jones showed up in a sports car as officers arrived at the home, and Pruitt smelled Josh Gordon in the car.

 

"I asked him why his (Corvette) smelled so bad, and he said, 'We were smoking it on the way down here from Nashville,' " Pruitt said. "Personally, I think the NFL needs to change its drug policy because (players) basically know they are going to get drug-tested."I asked him, 'Why do you want to throw your career away for a bunch of Josh Gordon junk?' He said, 'I know when I am going to get drug-tested, so I quit doing it.' It's just crazy.''

 

Pruitt said county prosecutors had not informed him that the case had been dismissed until he learned the news Wednesday. Today, he said, he plans to find out why.

 

"I want to know why it was dropped, and why it wasn't discussed with me," Pruitt said. "I want to know why. Is it because of who he is or what?"

 

According to Heaton, the obstruction charge that is pending stems from a verbal confrontation between police and Jones and some friends who were sitting in a car outside a house around 1 a.m. The area had been under police surveillance because of a number of break-ins in the area, but Jones was not suspected of being involved in those, Heaton said.

 

When police approached the vehicle, they got into "a verbal altercation which led to a physical confrontation (when) they ran into a home they were sitting outside of," Heaton said. "We had to run in and get them, and there was a physical confrontation with Pacman, and he was charged with the felony obstruction. We had to get physical with him, and he got physical with us.

 

"I don't know how it's going to all shake out, but we'll find out."

 

When a person with Jones was later searched at the jail, Josh Gordon was discovered, Heaton said.

 

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...RTS01/703010419

Edited March 1, 2007 by spain

[Outshined]

Jones has been involved in at least 10 off-the-field incidents involving police since he was drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2005 draft.

 

Has he been charged in any of these previous incidents?

[spain]

Has he been charged in any of these previous incidents?

 

yes

[isleseeya]

Choo choo ...trainwreck

Edited March 1, 2007 by isleseeya

[Randall]

Has he been charged in any of these previous incidents?

 

 

 

He even has his own arrest page.

[Azazello1313]

my first thought here would be, this guy's NFL career is over.

 

but then, look at jamal lewis...convicted of federal drug conspiracy charges, and the ravens did nothing, and the league gave him a slap on the wrist.

 

i guess we'll find out if the titans have any more integrity as an organization than the ravens do.

[The Wolf]

my first thought here would be, this guy's NFL career is over.

 

but then, look at jamal lewis...convicted of federal drug conspiracy charges, and the ravens did nothing, and the league gave him a slap on the wrist.

 

i guess we'll find out if the titans have any more integrity as an organization than the ravens do.

 

 

 

Jamal Lewis...ONE off-field issue. Pacman...TEN in just under two years.

 

I am not a Lewis apologist here, because federal charges are no small thing. But how does someone commit TEN off-field issues in this short a time frame and continue to play? I have no respect at all for that organization or the NFL.

[Sgt. Ryan]

I dont get this dude. He is a lil punk that without his entourage or weapons would get the ever living sh*t kicked out of him on every street in America. This puke will be out of the league within 2 yrs and in prision within the next 5. Then when he is Bubba's b*atch in prison he will see how fragile and weak he really is.

[Azazello1313]

Jamal Lewis...ONE off-field issue. Pacman...TEN in just under two years.

 

well, i dunno, what's an "issue"? another way of looking at it is one felony conviction to zero.

 

But how does someone commit TEN off-field issues in this short a time frame and continue to play? I have no respect at all for that organization or the NFL.

 

i'll see what they do with him this offseason before i make that call.

[Ursa Majoris]

Expanding this a bit, where can the NFL draw the line as to who is employed under it's banner? It could make a rule barring anyone with a felony or some other arbitrary measure but wouldn't restraint of trade kick in at some point?

 

Anyone know what options the NFL has to keep thugs out without laying themselves open to a losing court case?

[Azazello1313]

Expanding this a bit, where can the NFL draw the line as to who is employed under it's banner? It could make a rule barring anyone with a felony or some other arbitrary measure but wouldn't restraint of trade kick in at some point?

 

Anyone know what options the NFL has to keep thugs out without laying themselves open to a losing court case?

 

 

i don't know if they can blacklist people like that, but they can definitely suspend them for more than 2 games.

[Ursa Majoris]

i don't know if they can blacklist people like that, but they can definitely suspend them for more than 2 games.

 

Other companies can refuse to hire felons if they wish, I think. Presumably the NFL can't as it's a monopoly?

[theprofessor]

I dont get this dude. He is a lil punk that without his entourage or weapons would get the ever living sh*t kicked out of him on every street in America. This puke will be out of the league within 2 yrs and in prision within the next 5. Then when he is Bubba's b*atch in prison he will see how fragile and weak he really is.

 

 

My thoughts, exactly. I hate pus***'s like this guy.

[spain]

Friday, 03/02/07

 

Pacman's attorney fears 'mob mentality'

Lawyer urges fans, media not to judge until case resolved

 

By JIM WYATT

Staff Writer

 

 

His office is roughly 250 miles away in Atlanta, but the attorney for Pacman Jones is fully aware of what's being said, and what some might think, about his client in Nashville.

 

On Thursday, attorney Manny Arora asked for everyone not to rush to judgment on cases involving the Titans cornerback, while criticizing authorities in Georgia for the way they've portrayed him on charges in his home state.

 

 

"I'd like people to take pause, and rather than the mob mentality kicking in, I'd like for them to sit back and say, 'Hey, he didn't do these things. He's been in the wrong situation, yeah.' But he is almost snakebit a little bit," Arora said.

 

"He's been trashed in every possible forum publicly — television, the newspaper — and all for what? It is almost like there's an open call for anyone who wants to say anything negative about Adam. That's what this has become.''

 

While detectives in Las Vegas continue to investigate a triple shooting on Feb. 19 — the co-owner of the strip club where that incident took place accused Jones of being a friend of the shooter — old charges in Georgia against Jones came to light on Wednesday when it was discovered that he's due in court later this month for allegedly obstructing police during an incident last February.

 

Jones was arrested and charged with Josh Gordon possession not long after that incident in Fayetteville, Ga., though those charges were dismissed. On Thursday, the Fayette County solicitor said there wasn't strong enough evidence against Jones to prosecute that case, but even that set off a controversy.

 

Jones has been involved in at least 10 off-the-field incidents involving police since he was drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft.

 

"I am not happy about it, but there is not much I can do about it unless I just want to go over there and pound on the solicitor's desk,'' said Mike Pruitt of the Fayette County Drug Task Force, who was involved in arresting Jones, along with his mother and two friends.

 

"It was his house, and the basement had dope scattered all over it in plain view. I think it was a good case against him. It's not right.''

 

Jones under stress

 

The Tennessean has had numerous conversations with Jones this week, but not for print. Jones expressed frustration with some of the stories he'd read, and Arora said Jones "is stressed beyond belief.''

 

Jones is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Fayetteville later this month on a felony charge of obstructing police and two charges of misdemeanor obstruction after a scuffle with police.

 

According to Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton, the obstruction charges stem from a verbal confrontation between police and Jones and some friends who were in a car outside a house around 1 a.m. in an area where numerous thefts had been reported. Heaton said Jones fought with police when he ran into the home. A police report said Jones bit an officer during the scuffle.

 

What police didn't make clear, Arora said, is that Jones was sitting in front of his girlfriend's house and had done nothing wrong. "The police gave no reason why they came up to Pac's car. He had committed no crime, and there was no reason for police to come up and talk to him, but they do,'' Arora said. "He told police he wanted to leave and (a) police officer ordered him back in the car, and everything starts from there."

 

In the Josh Gordon charge that wasn't prosecuted, Fayette County Solicitor General Jamie Inaguwa said Thursday that Jones didn't have any Josh Gordon in his possession, and that his mother and a friend claimed responsibility for the Josh Gordon that was found in his house during a search by authorities.

 

A total of four individuals were initially charged in the case, and two of the four were prosecuted, Inaguwa said. He said a friend of Jones, Marcus Bowens, said he had been smoking in the car the two arrived in. But Inaguwa, citing a police report, said Jones said he hadn't been smoking.

 

"With him driving up and not being in the house and the people pleading guilty to it inside, it would be very difficult for me to substantiate a charge against (Jones), no matter how I felt,'' Inaguwa said.

 

Pruitt, however, said Jones admitted in another conversation that he had been smoking Josh Gordon on the drive from Nashville to Atlanta after initially denying it.

 

Lawyer weighs options

 

Authorities in Las Vegas still haven't named a suspect in the triple shooting at the Minxx Gentleman's Club, which paralyzed one man.

 

Meanwhile, Arora is considering his own options in that case, which could include filing suits against co-owner Robert Susnar, who has accused Jones of starting the melee and being involved.

 

The Titans and the NFL are monitoring the events. There's a chance Jones could be in violation of the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, which relates to off-the-field matters. Accusations of Josh Gordon use raise questions about his potentially being in violation of the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy.

 

The Titans haven't commented much on the issue, saying they're waiting on all of the facts. At the NFL Combine last weekend, Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt didn't rule out the possibility of Jones not being on the roster this fall.

 

"From me reading in the papers and different things, certainly there is a lot of pressure on the team to do something, and I compliment them that they have not commented or gone public until all the facts are out,'' Arora said. "What happens if they cut him and do all these things and the case is never a case and he's just always been a witness? Now you've ruined a young kid's life ...

 

"It just doesn't seem like any of this (negativity) out there is going to stop any time. Nothing positive seems to ever show up on the radar screen, things he has done. I don't want it to be a contest where he's good, he's bad, or he's this, that or the other, but nobody hesitates to think, 'Hey, he has been in trouble before, but the charges weren't there.' Yeah, he's made some bad choices, but those cases get dismissed for a reason."

[Sgt. Ryan]

problem is the punk probably did do those things, and when hisi client is in jail, he can come up with another strategy than to tell us what to think