Jones ordered to face 2 felonies

6/21/2007

LAS VEGAS - Suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones must surrender to authorities here to face two felony charges in a strip club melee that preceded a triple shooting in February.

Two other people police identified as part of the troubled Tennessee Titans cornerback's entourage also will face felony charges in the fracas inside the Minxx club, Las Vegas police said yesterday.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger said arrest warrants were being sought for Jones, Robert "Big Rob" Reid of Carson, Calif., and Sadia Morrison of New York.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello did not say if the Las Vegas charges would affect Jones' suspension for the upcoming NFL season.

Jones agreed this month not to appeal the suspension, and officials said Jones had a chance to be reinstated after 10 games if he adhered to team restrictions and had no further "adverse involvement with law enforcement." Missing the season would cost Jones his $1.3 million salary.

No one was identified as the shooter in a criminal complaint in Las Vegas Justice Court. But police released an image of a man who police Capt. James Dillon called a "person of interest related to the shooting." Dillon said investigators wanted to identify and talk with the man, who police said may live on the East Coast.

Tennessee Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams Jr. said the team was focused on the 2007 season and would have no comment about Jones' legal trouble.

"We are moving forward as a team and do not expect to comment on any future matters concerning him until his suspension is completed," Adams said.

Dillon said Las Vegas police contacted Atlanta police, who said this week they wanted to question Jones about a shooting early Monday after a fight at an Atlanta strip club.

The Las Vegas gunfire occurred Feb. 19 outside a club several blocks off the Strip near the end of NBA All-Star weekend. A bar employee was paralyzed and two others suffered less serious wounds.

The 23-year-old Jones faces two counts of felony coercion stemming from allegations he bit a bar bouncer on the ankle and threatened to kill club employees, according to the criminal complaint.

Reid, 37, who police identified as Jones' bodyguard, faces one felony coercion charge alleging he attacked a bouncer who tried to restrain Jones.

Morrison, 25, faces charges including coercion, felony assault with a deadly weapon, and battery stemming from allegations that she hit a bouncer in the head with a champagne bottle and attacked several other club employees with a chair and a stanchion.

Coercion is the act of threatening or physically interfering with a person trying to do something that he or she has a right and responsibility to do.

If convicted, Jones faces a maximum of up to 12 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, authorities said.