Revival Of Charges Against Pacman Delayed Awaiting Vegas Action

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) _ Adam ``Pacman'' Jones must wait to see how felony charges filed against him in Las Vegas are handled before a Tennessee court rules on whether the suspended NFL player's

Thursday, July 5th 2007, 3:09 pm

By: News On 6

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) _ Adam ``Pacman'' Jones must wait to see how felony charges filed against him in Las Vegas are handled before a Tennessee court rules on whether the suspended NFL player's plea bargain should be revoked.

A new hearing was set for Jan. 3 to revisit the case.

``I think we'll have to wait to see what happens in Las Vegas courts,'' Rutherford County General Sessions Court Judge David Loughry said Thursday.

Jones, who quietly signed autographs for others in court Thursday while waiting for his hearing, responded briefly to reporters' questions as he left the courthouse.

``I'm going to get through (the charges),'' the Tennessee Titans cornerback said.

Asked if he's confident he will play pro football again, Jones replied, ``Of course I am.''

The charges prosecutors were trying to revive come from an incident last August at a nightclub in Murfreesboro. Police said Jones got into an argument with a woman, refused to leave the club and shouted profanities at officers.

Loughry had agreed in January to dismiss the charges and expunge Jones' record if he behaved himself for six months.

But District Attorney General William Whitesell filed a petition June 22 asking Loughry to reinstate the misdemeanor counts after Jones was named in felony coercion charges in connection with a Feb. 19 fight and triple-shooting at a Las Vegas strip club.

Jones is scheduled to appear in court in Las Vegas on July 23 and a preliminary hearing date will be set then, his attorney Worrick Robinson said.

Robinson asked Loughry to dismiss the charges as he had planned to do, arguing that Jones had not been convicted of anything in Las Vegas and was not charged on solid evidence.

``There are merely allegations based on hearsay,'' he said.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Parkerson said the charges alone were enough to show Jones did not satisfy the condition of his plea agreement to remain on ``good and lawful'' behavior.

``Being indicted on felony charges in another state does not constitute good conduct,'' Parkerson said.

Besides the Vegas charges, Jones faces a felony charge of obstruction stemming from a physical altercation in February 2006 with an officer on patrol in Fayetteville, Ga., but no trial date has been set, defense attorney Manny Arora said Thursday.

Arora said Jones also has been cooperating with Atlanta police in connection with a strip club shooting last month. No charges have been filed against Jones in that incident.

Las Vegas police say Jones didn't fire the shots which left one man paralyzed but incited a melee which preceded the shooting.

The arrest in Las Vegas was the sixth for the 23-year-old since he was drafted in 2005. He has not been convicted of any crimes, but authorities say he has been involved in at least 11 police investigations around the country.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Jones for a year in April, citing the off-field episodes. The suspension could be reduced to 10 games if Jones meets restrictions set by Goodell.

Jones and his attorneys initially appealed the suspension but dropped the appeal last month.