Manley jailed again after missing court ordered meeting

<br>HOUSTON (AP) _ Former Oklahoma State and NFL star Dexter Manley remained jailed without bond early Tuesday after missing a court-ordered meeting for his conviction for evidence tampering. <br><br>He

Tuesday, March 26th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HOUSTON (AP) _ Former Oklahoma State and NFL star Dexter Manley remained jailed without bond early Tuesday after missing a court-ordered meeting for his conviction for evidence tampering.

He was arrested on Monday from a Houston hospital, where he had checked in over the weekend.

Manley was found guilty last Wednesday after a jury determined he tried to swallow less than a gram of cocaine during a 2001 drug bust at a Houston motel.

Manley could get probation or 180 days to two years in state jail.

Sentencing is set for April 5. However, Manley had been required to meet with a probation officer Thursday and failed to show up. His attorney, Jonathan Munier, said the former Pro Bowl defensive lineman checked into Riverside General Hospital over the weekend for depression.

Manley's failure to appear last week may influence State District Judge Elsa Acala's sentencing.

``You don't do yourself any justice by missing an appointment the judge has personally given you,'' Munier told the Houston Chronicle in Tuesday's editions.

Harris County deputies took Manley away from the hospital Monday morning and returned him to jail, Lt. Robert Van Pelt said. He had been free on $20,000 bail.

Munier said he had not spoken to Manley since his arrest.

``He's battling a couple of demons, obviously drugs,'' Munier said. ``He has general depression.''

Prosecutors said Manley, 43, was stopped Jan. 10, 2001, because officers saw him leave a motel room they were about to search. Police said Manley tried to swallow the cocaine he was carrying as they tried to arrest him.

Manley, who grew up in Houston, retired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1991 after a second failed drug test. Manley had previously failed a drug test in 1989 while playing for the Washington Redskins. He was suspended from the NFL and the next year joined the Arizona Cardinals.

Manley was arrested four times from November 1994 to July 1995 for possessing small quantities of crack cocaine. He later was convicted and served 15 months of a four-year sentence. He was paroled in November 1996.