Post by Jlew on Oct 21, 2003 9:17:07 GMT -5
By Jonathan Osborne, Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, October 20, 2003
Austin Police said they will charge University of Texas running back Cedric Benson today with breaking open a South Austin apartment door in an attempt to recover a stolen television.
The Class A misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing is punishable by up to two years in jail and $2,000 in fines.
Benson, a junior starter who also plays baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, declined to comment through a team spokesman Monday.
Coach Mack Brown said, "We've talked to Cedric and are aware of the situation. We will continue to follow it. But it would be inappropriate to comment any further on it at this time."
Austin Police Lt. Curtis Kornfuehrer said that on the evening of Oct. 7 — four days before UT's annual game against Oklahoma in Dallas — a woman inside the apartment on Little Texas Lane off South Congress Avenue, identified in a police report as 19-year-old Amanda Lee Lucas, heard knocking at the front door. When Lucas looked through the peephole, she saw what appeared to be four men.
"She didn't know who they were and she did not let them know she was inside the apartment," Kornfuehrer said. "She heard them talking outside, saying something to the effect of, 'We're going to have to double-team this door.' "
Then, Kornfuehrer said, the group forced it open.
"One of them got in her face, who she subsequently identified as Cedric Benson," Kornfuehrer said. "He was inquiring about a stolen television. It was a large, plasma screen television. They didn't see it and they left."
A 2002 police report filed by Benson says that the television, a Sony PlayStation, speakers and clothes were stolen from his home.
Kornfuehrer said Lucas wrote down a license plate number, leading police to Benson.
Lucas, who gave police a written statement Friday, also picked Benson out of a photo lineup, but could not identify the other men. She declined to comment on the incident Monday.
"We really don't know who the other three are at this point," Kornfuehrer said. "I don't think we're going to be able to go any further with it unless Cedric wants to give it up."
Because nothing was stolen from the apartment, Kornfuehrer said, they decided to file the criminal trespassing charge instead of burglary — the crime originally listed as being under investigation on an Oct. 7 police report.
It was unclear Monday why Benson may have believed his stolen television was in Lucas' apartment. However, police on Friday arrested a resident of the Little Texas Lane apartment on an unrelated burglary charge. David Daspit, 23, was taken into custody at Barton Creek Square Mall and is being held at Travis County Jail with bail set at $50,000.
"He's a suspect in Benson's original burglary, but we have not been able to make a case on it," Kornfuehrer said.
"It's bizarre," said Kornfuehrer, who acknowledged that detectives have spoken briefly about the incident with Benson over the phone. "He should have let the police handle it."
Benson had a previous brush with law enforcement in April 2002 when police showed up at an apartment complex in Midland, Benson's hometown, to investigate a loud party complaint. When they arrived, the only people at the apartment were Benson and a companion. Police said they found three small bags of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and beer.
Benson and the woman were arrested on three misdemeanor charges — possession of marijuana, minor in possession of alcohol and possession of drug paraphernalia. Benson denied any wrongdoing and prosecutors dropped all the charges only weeks later, saying they could not prove that Benson, by simply being in the apartment, was actually in possession of the beer, marijuana or paraphernalia.
At the time, Benson apologized for the "negative attention and embarrassment this situation has brought to the program and UT."
Benson, 20, was a 12th-round draft pick of the Dodgers in 2001. AT UT, he is considered a professional in baseball and a walk-on in football.
On the football field, this has been a subpar year for Benson, who has exceeded 100 yards only twice in seven games.
Saturday marked his best performance. During the Longhorns' 40-19 victory over Iowa State, Benson rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
By late Monday afternoon, the Web site, www.hornfans.com, had received nearly 100 postings from grumbling fans in response to the story, which appeared first on statesman.com Monday.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, October 20, 2003
Austin Police said they will charge University of Texas running back Cedric Benson today with breaking open a South Austin apartment door in an attempt to recover a stolen television.
The Class A misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing is punishable by up to two years in jail and $2,000 in fines.
Benson, a junior starter who also plays baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, declined to comment through a team spokesman Monday.
Coach Mack Brown said, "We've talked to Cedric and are aware of the situation. We will continue to follow it. But it would be inappropriate to comment any further on it at this time."
Austin Police Lt. Curtis Kornfuehrer said that on the evening of Oct. 7 — four days before UT's annual game against Oklahoma in Dallas — a woman inside the apartment on Little Texas Lane off South Congress Avenue, identified in a police report as 19-year-old Amanda Lee Lucas, heard knocking at the front door. When Lucas looked through the peephole, she saw what appeared to be four men.
"She didn't know who they were and she did not let them know she was inside the apartment," Kornfuehrer said. "She heard them talking outside, saying something to the effect of, 'We're going to have to double-team this door.' "
Then, Kornfuehrer said, the group forced it open.
"One of them got in her face, who she subsequently identified as Cedric Benson," Kornfuehrer said. "He was inquiring about a stolen television. It was a large, plasma screen television. They didn't see it and they left."
A 2002 police report filed by Benson says that the television, a Sony PlayStation, speakers and clothes were stolen from his home.
Kornfuehrer said Lucas wrote down a license plate number, leading police to Benson.
Lucas, who gave police a written statement Friday, also picked Benson out of a photo lineup, but could not identify the other men. She declined to comment on the incident Monday.
"We really don't know who the other three are at this point," Kornfuehrer said. "I don't think we're going to be able to go any further with it unless Cedric wants to give it up."
Because nothing was stolen from the apartment, Kornfuehrer said, they decided to file the criminal trespassing charge instead of burglary — the crime originally listed as being under investigation on an Oct. 7 police report.
It was unclear Monday why Benson may have believed his stolen television was in Lucas' apartment. However, police on Friday arrested a resident of the Little Texas Lane apartment on an unrelated burglary charge. David Daspit, 23, was taken into custody at Barton Creek Square Mall and is being held at Travis County Jail with bail set at $50,000.
"He's a suspect in Benson's original burglary, but we have not been able to make a case on it," Kornfuehrer said.
"It's bizarre," said Kornfuehrer, who acknowledged that detectives have spoken briefly about the incident with Benson over the phone. "He should have let the police handle it."
Benson had a previous brush with law enforcement in April 2002 when police showed up at an apartment complex in Midland, Benson's hometown, to investigate a loud party complaint. When they arrived, the only people at the apartment were Benson and a companion. Police said they found three small bags of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and beer.
Benson and the woman were arrested on three misdemeanor charges — possession of marijuana, minor in possession of alcohol and possession of drug paraphernalia. Benson denied any wrongdoing and prosecutors dropped all the charges only weeks later, saying they could not prove that Benson, by simply being in the apartment, was actually in possession of the beer, marijuana or paraphernalia.
At the time, Benson apologized for the "negative attention and embarrassment this situation has brought to the program and UT."
Benson, 20, was a 12th-round draft pick of the Dodgers in 2001. AT UT, he is considered a professional in baseball and a walk-on in football.
On the football field, this has been a subpar year for Benson, who has exceeded 100 yards only twice in seven games.
Saturday marked his best performance. During the Longhorns' 40-19 victory over Iowa State, Benson rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
By late Monday afternoon, the Web site, www.hornfans.com, had received nearly 100 postings from grumbling fans in response to the story, which appeared first on statesman.com Monday.