sa_butta
01-13-2007, 11:25 AM
PHOENIX -- Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson has been indicted on charges of drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs, Maricopa County's top prosecutor announced Friday.
“Tyson endangered the public and himself and must be held accountable for his actions. It's my hope that a conviction and prison time will help him to break his addictions and learn to comply with the law. ”— Attorney Andrew Thomas
The indictment was a routine procedural move that negates the need to hold a formal preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled for Jan. 16.
Tyson, 40, was indicted on felony drug possession and paraphernalia possession counts and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs. If convicted of all four charges, he could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said.
The charges stem from his Dec. 29 arrest in Scottsdale. Tyson was pulled over after leaving a nightclub and an officer found bags of cocaine in his back pocket and another in a package of cigarettes in his car, according to court records.
Tyson's criminal attorney, Thomas Marlowe, didn't immediately return phone calls Friday from The Associated Press.
Thomas said he would pursue prison time for Tyson, who was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992 and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland in 1999. Those previous convictions would make him ineligible for Arizona's mandatory drug treatment program for first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders, Thomas said.
"Tyson endangered the public and himself and must be held accountable for his actions," Thomas said. "It's my hope that a conviction and prison time will help him to break his addictions and learn to comply with the law."
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986, when at 20 he knocked out Trevor Berbick. Four years later, he was knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas. By 1997, Tyson's career hit its low point when he bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight.
Tyson recently got back in the ring for a series of four-round exhibitions. When announcing the world tour, Tyson told reporters he was deep in debt and wondered if people would still pay to watch him fight.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2729375
“Tyson endangered the public and himself and must be held accountable for his actions. It's my hope that a conviction and prison time will help him to break his addictions and learn to comply with the law. ”— Attorney Andrew Thomas
The indictment was a routine procedural move that negates the need to hold a formal preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled for Jan. 16.
Tyson, 40, was indicted on felony drug possession and paraphernalia possession counts and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs. If convicted of all four charges, he could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said.
The charges stem from his Dec. 29 arrest in Scottsdale. Tyson was pulled over after leaving a nightclub and an officer found bags of cocaine in his back pocket and another in a package of cigarettes in his car, according to court records.
Tyson's criminal attorney, Thomas Marlowe, didn't immediately return phone calls Friday from The Associated Press.
Thomas said he would pursue prison time for Tyson, who was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992 and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland in 1999. Those previous convictions would make him ineligible for Arizona's mandatory drug treatment program for first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders, Thomas said.
"Tyson endangered the public and himself and must be held accountable for his actions," Thomas said. "It's my hope that a conviction and prison time will help him to break his addictions and learn to comply with the law."
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986, when at 20 he knocked out Trevor Berbick. Four years later, he was knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas. By 1997, Tyson's career hit its low point when he bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight.
Tyson recently got back in the ring for a series of four-round exhibitions. When announcing the world tour, Tyson told reporters he was deep in debt and wondered if people would still pay to watch him fight.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2729375