Just this weekend, in these pages, I said that nothing about the never-ending O. J. Simpson saga could ever surprise me again. I was wrong. I did not believe O. J. could be stupid enough to actually expose himself to the risk of being locked up without bail facing armed robbery charges that could land him in a state prison for a number of years.
Mr. Simpson is no rocket scientist, but he is not anywhere near the dummy that so many people like to think he is. At least he wasn't way back when. Now, I don't know. The irony of O. J. Simpson possibly doing serious prison time for stealing his own memorabilia with a firearm after being acquitted in October 1995 of double homicide is so obvious and rich it needs no further comment. The bizarre 'facts' of the case at this point are in the The New York Times article excerpted and linked to below.
Simpson Arrested and Charged With Felonies
By STEVE FRIESS Published: September 17, 2007
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 16 -- O. J. Simpson was charged Sunday with six felonies in connection with a reported armed robbery of sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room on Thursday night, the Las Vegas police said.
Mr. Simpson was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and charged with two counts each of robbery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon, as well as one count each of conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a firearm, Lt. Clint Nichols of the Las Vegas police said. A judge ordered Mr. Simpson held without bail pending arraignment this week in Clark County Justice Court, possibly via video.
The top two charges carry sentences of 3 to 35 years each and, by state law, would have to be served consecutively, so Mr. Simpson faces 6 to 70 years on those alone, the authorities said.
A group of six people that included Mr. Simpson are accused of storming into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino a mile from the Las Vegas Strip about 8 p.m. Thursday. Another member of the group, Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested late Saturday and was charged with the same counts. He was released early Sunday on his own recognizance, said his lawyer, Robert Rentzer.
The police are seeking the other four members of the group and have identified three of them: Clarence Stewart, 53, of Las Vegas; Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas; and Tom Scotto, age and hometown unavailable.
