Ex-NFL QB Ryan Leaf arrested in Montana for 2nd time
(CBS/AP) HELENA, Mont. - Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested on Monday and is accused of committing another burglary two days after he posted bail on charges that he broke into a friend's home and stole prescription painkillers, a drug task force commander said.
Leaf has been jailed in the Cascade County Detention Center and is now facing new charges of burglary, theft and two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. He is also being detained on a probation violation.
The new charges are in addition to burglary, theft and drug possessions charges he faces from his arrest on Friday. Central Montana Drug Task Force Commander Chris Hickman declined to detail the allegations against Leaf regarding the latest burglary.
Leaf has an initial court appearances scheduled for Monday afternoon in which he will hear the charges against him.
Although bond has been set at $101,000 for the burglary, theft and drug charges, the probation violation charge does not carry a bond so Leaf cannot be released from jail, Hickman said.
The probation violation is related to a plea agreement Leaf made in Texas after being accused in 2009 of burglarizing a player's home while he was a quarterbacks coach for Division II West Texas A&M. An investigation turned up that Leaf had obtained nearly 1,000 pain pills from area pharmacies in an eight-month span.
His plea agreement gave him 10 years of probation. Randall County District Attorney James Farren said he planned to file a motion Monday to revoke Leaf's probation.
Leaf was arrested Friday after a monthlong investigation that started with a tip that Leaf had been receiving small, rattling c.o.d. packages worth $500 or more once or twice a week.
A search of Leaf and his pickup truck turned up 28 oxycodone pills, a narcotic for which Leaf does not have a prescription, Hickman said. The label on an empty prescription bottle also found in Leaf's golf bag was made out to an acquaintance, who told police that Leaf entered his house without permission on Thursday and stole the pills.
Hickman said authorities believe Leaf may have broken into other homes over the past 1 1/2 years in search of prescription drugs. They are now asking those victims to come forward.
Leaf released a statement through his publicist after his first arrest on Friday that says he has "made some mistakes and has no excuses" but that he is "confident that there will be further understanding when the facts are revealed."
Leaf, a former standout quarterback for Washington State, was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 draft behind Peyton Manning. But Leaf flamed out as quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, gaining a reputation as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.