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Stephen Jackson in trouble again...

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ABJ

Prosecutor charges Pacers' Jackson for strip club fight

CLIFF BRUNT

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Now, Stephen Jackson is in trouble in two states.
The Indiana Pacers guard, already on probation for his role in the brawl with Detroit Pistons fans two years ago, was to appear in court Thursday morning to face a felony charge of criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct in a fight outside an Indianapolis strip club last week.
Police said Jackson shot a gun in the air at least five times, originally telling authorities he fired in self-defense.
But charges were filed Wednesday by Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, who said conviction on the felony count alone carries a prison term of six months to three years. He said Jackson could also face three months in jail in Detroit if authorities there determine he has violated his probation.
"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."
Pacers teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter were with Jackson at the club, but were not charged. All three of them played in Wednesday night's 103-89 preseason victory over the New Jersey Nets, but Jackson was not with the team at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Attendance was announced at 11,131, more than 7,000 below capacity.
"I think it has affected other people, and that's why you're seeing seats empty in a lot of places," said Tom Eads of Greenwood, a Pacers fan whose 8-year-old son, Corbin, wore a Jackson jersey.
Eads said he has told Corbin and his 10-year-old daughter Ellen that athletes are not role models for behavior.
"These are guys we watch for their athletic ability and for entertainment," he said.
Tinsley was the only one of the four Pacers at the club who started Wednesday night, and he received a mixed reaction from the crowd when he was introduced before the game. Still, many fans voiced support for the team.
"It's a black eye to the team, but he's (Jackson is) human," fan Eugene Lewis of Indianapolis said. "I don't think you should judge the whole team on the actions of one person."
Another fan, Deryck Ramey of Indianapolis, noted the Pacers' close association with the city and the state for almost 40 years.
"This team has always catered to the city, to the state of Indiana," he said. "Regardless of the trouble in Detroit and what happened last week, they've always had that mindset of community first."
After the game, Tinsley said he understood why people might feel disappointed in the team.
"It's disappointing to everybody," he said. "It's a tough situation. It's something that he's got to deal with. We can't control what happens, we've just got to worry about what's going on in this locker room right now."
Jackson practiced with the team on Tuesday for the first time since the fight. He also apologized for his actions and said he was "happy to be alive" after being struck by a car outside the club.
The driver of the car, Deon Willford, 23, faces felony counts of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license.
Officers said they found a small amount of marijuana in the passenger-side door of Tinsley's car. But no arrests were made at the time because there were three others in Tinsley's car and police could not determine who had the marijuana.
In charging information Wednesday, prosecutors said Jackson kicked a man who police said has a deformed arm. Jackson told police that the man, Quentin Willford, started the brawl. But another man, Raymel Mattox, was charged with misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession, and prosecutors said it was Mattox who started the fight.
Pacers president Larry Bird said Jackson was upset by the charges.
"He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise," Bird said. "This is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this."
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league was monitoring the situation and would do its own investigation.
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ABJ

Jackson posts bond, may play Saturday

DEANNA MARTIN

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson spent more time in a courtroom than on a basketball court Thursday. Jackson was led away in handcuffs after a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on a felony charge of criminal recklessness and two other counts for a fight outside a strip club. Jackson was booked into jail and released after posting $10,000 bond, a spokesman with the prosecutor's office said.
The proceedings took longer than expected, so Jackson missed afternoon practice, said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
"He'll have to catch up, and he will," Carlisle said. "He's a smart guy. He picks things up very quickly and he's a veteran, so I'm not worried about it."
Authorities say Jackson, already on probation for his role in the brawl with Detroit Pistons fans two years ago, shot a gun in the air at least five times during the fight outside Club Rio on Oct. 6. Teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter were with Jackson at the club but were not charged.
Carlisle said Jackson might play in Saturday's home preseason game against Utah, depending on how well his injuries from the fight heal. Jackson had stitches in his lip and other scrapes and bruises, most of which happened when he was hit by a car during the mayhem, prosecutors said.
But the guard's upcoming schedule includes more than just games and practices.
Jackson, whose charges include misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct, is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Nov. 1, with his trial to start Jan. 8.
On Thursday, Marion Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford entered a preliminary plea of not guilty for Jackson. Indiana judges routinely enter not guilty pleas during initial hearings.
If Jackson does not change it within 20 days, it will become his formal plea. Jackson, dressed in a dark suit, was questioned by Gifford and told not to contact witnesses or others involved in the case.
When asked about deputies escorting Jackson in handcuffs, prosecutor Carl Brizzi said he was "treated like any defendant."
Jackson originally told police he fired in self-defense during the fight.
But Brizzi, who filed charges Wednesday, said Jackson got his gun from his car and fired it before the car hit him. Jackson also originally said he was punched in the face, but later told police his injuries were from being hit by the car, Brizzi said.
Jackson's attorney James Voyles said his client acted in self-defense.
"A group of thugs attacked a group of young men who were there, some of which were the Indiana Pacers," he said after the hearing. "There was a fight. There were threatening things that went on in that event, and during the course of that, self-defense was used."
On Wednesday, prosecutors said Jackson kicked a man who police said has a deformed arm. Jackson told police that the man, Quentin Willford, started the brawl.
Voyles said what happened outside of Club Rio was a fight.
"In a fight, you have throwing fists, kicking - it's a fight," he said. "You can't characterize a fight as anything else but a fight. I mean, when people characterize it as anything else, they've never seen a fight."
The criminal recklessness charge carries a prison term of six months to three years.
Jackson might also face up to three months in jail in Michigan if a judge there determines he violated probation. Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca said his office filed a probation violation with the court but no hearing has been scheduled.
Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal said teammates support Jackson but are continuing to focus on playing well.
"I don't think the situation with Stephen has stopped the beat," he said.
Two other men also face charges in the fight.
The driver of the car that hit Jackson, Deon Willford, 23, is charged with felony counts of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license. The judge Thursday also entered a not guilty plea on Willford's behalf.
Raymel Mattox, who was at the club with the players, was charged with misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession. Prosecutors said Mattox started the fight and had marijuana, which officers found in the passenger-side door of Tinsley's car.
Mattox lives in New York and was planning to come to Indiana for a court hearing, said Roger Rayl, a spokesman for the Marion County prosecutor's office.
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ABJ

Pacers' Jackson may face time in prison

Associated Press

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Prosecutors in suburban Detroit said Friday they may request jail time for Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson if he is found to have violated probation by firing a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club.
Jackson is on probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges in September 2005 for his role in a 2004 brawl between Pacers players and fans during a game against the Detroit Pistons.
The 28-year-old Jackson appeared in a Marion County, Ind., court on Thursday for arraignment on a felony charge of criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct as a result of the incident at the Indianapolis strip club.
Jackson is scheduled to appear at a probation violation hearing at a Rochester Hills district court on Nov. 13, said Oakland County assistant prosecutor Paul Walton. He could face up to three months in jail. Walton said if the court finds Jackson violated his probation, the prosecutor's office probably would request jail time.
Police say Jackson fired a gun in the air at least five times during an Oct. 6 fight outside Club Rio. Jackson originally told police he fired the gun in self-defense, but Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Jackson retrieved the gun from his car and fired it before he was struck and injured by another car.
Defense attorney James Burdick said Friday that Jackson has completed the terms of his 12-month probation. He said Rochester Hills District Judge Julie Nicholson held his probationary period open until a separate $12,000 restitution case is resolved, but imposed no reporting or other requirements.
Burdick said Jackson obtained the handgun he is accused of firing lawfully and informed officials in Indiana of his probationary status in Michigan while applying for permits.
"He violated no terms of probation, he's violated no conditions of probation, he's done nothing wrong," Burdick said.
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ABJ

Jackson says he was protecting teammates

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson says he was just trying to protect three teammates when he fired a handgun and was hit by a car during a fight outside an Indianapolis strip club.
The 28-year-old Jackson faces a pretrial hearing on a felony charge of criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct Nov. 1, the same day the Pacers open the season in Charlotte, N.C.
His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 8 in Marion Superior Court. The criminal recklessness charge carries a prison term of six months to three years.
"I'm in a situation now where people thought I acted recklessly, when I know I didn't," Jackson said Saturday night after the Pacers' 97-84 loss to the Utah Jazz.
"Over due time the courts will know that," he said. "We'll be able to see I wasn't trying to hurt anybody. I had no intentions of hurting anybody. I was just making sure me and my teammates were safe. I'm the one who got hit by the car."
Police said Jackson fired a gun in the air at least five times during an Oct. 6 fight outside Club Rio. Jackson originally told police that he fired the gun in self-defense, but Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Jackson retrieved his gun from his car and fired it before he was struck and injured by another car.
Jackson, who showed up at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday sporting a shaven head instead of his familiar braids, was booed by some fans during the game. He came off the bench and finished with six points in 23 minutes.
Jackson was serving probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges in September 2005 in his role in a 2004 brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich. He is scheduled to appear at a probation violation hearing at a Rochester Hills district court on Nov. 13 and could face up to three months in jail.
The court schedule and shadow of jail time could complicate Indiana's season. But Pacers coach Rick Carlisle seemed relatively unruffled.
"We'll cross those bridges when we come to them," Carlisle said. "I've heard some dates thrown around, but I don't know that there's anything set in stone. I know that a lot of times schedules can be adjusted based on people's work, but I'm not going to make any presumptions on that. ... That's light years away."
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I'm amazed that this guy keeps getting chances from NBA teams. IMO, looking at his talent alone, he's not worth it. He's a ballhog who is at best a streaky scorer. Guys like him come a dime a dozen in the NBA. And when you factor in the fact that he can't keep himself out of trouble with law enforcement, I can't understand why any NBA team would want him.
 
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buckeyeboy;729970; said:
I'm amazed that this guy keeps getting chances from NBA teams. IMO, looking at his talent alone, he's not worth it. He's a ballhog who is at best a streaky scorer. Guys like him come a dime a dozen in the NBA. And when you factor in the fact that he can't keep himself out of trouble with law enforcement, I can't understand why any NBA team would want him.
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He's a lot better than a lot of guys in the league. He does average 14 points and 3 assists per game, granted those aren't spectacular numbers, the part I can't figure out is according to USA TODAY he's making 5.6 mil a year. Otherwise he's a good player.
 
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OCBucksFan;729993; said:
He's a lot better than a lot of guys in the league. He does average 14 points and 3 assists per game
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There are a whole lot of players in the league that average 14 points and 3 assists per game, and there are a whole lot more who could put up such numbers if they got the minutes that Jackson gets. Like I said before, talent-wise, players like him are a dime a dozen.
 
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I am gonna disagree, for example he has better production the Smush parker or Brian Cook on the Lakers, and i have seen those players get similiar minutes and just burn out, the major problems I see is:

1) He's not worth the money, he's making the money of a #2 guy but producing like a 3-4 guy.

2) The obvious legal problems, this to me is the huge issue.

Besides that, he's a good basketball player. However, if I am an owner and I am paying you 5+ Million dollars a year I am expecting you to stay out of trouble, you are the product I am selling and the more trouble you get into the harder you are to see.

He's a great #3 guy in the league, if your second guard is putting up 14-15 points a game you're as happy as can be, but he's making the money of your #1 guard.

If he was making 1 mil to 1.5 mil a year I don't think this would even be a question. He's hardly a "dime a dozen" player, however, he is someone who needs to decide where his priorities lay, does he want to play for the NBA or does he want to spend the rest of his life in jail.
 
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