O.J. Simpson Held Without Bail
O.J. Simpson was arrested yesterday on charges relating to stolen sports memorabilia. He is being held inside the Clark County Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Simpson, 60, was in Vegas to attend a friend's wedding. Now he'll be attending his own arraignment - via video - in just a few hours, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.
Police arrested Simpson on Sunday, saying he was part of an armed group that burst into a Las Vegas hotel room and snatched memorabilia that documented his storied career. He is being held without bail.
Simpson said it was merely a confrontation with no guns. He said autographed sports collectibles, his Hall of Fame certificate, a photograph with former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and video from his first wedding were all his, and that they were stolen from him and were about to be fenced by unethical collectors.
An audio recording of the alleged robbery released by TMZ.com identifies an agitated Simpson uttering obscenities to an unknown person. "You think you can steal my (expletive) and sell it"? the voice identified as Simpson says.
Sports memorabilia collectors say Simpson and others stormed into their room at the palace station hotel and casino on Thursday, threatened them with weapons, and stole from them. Simpson claims he was retrieving collectibles that were first stolen from him, and that the raid was part of a sting operation.
"They came in single file. O.J. was the last one in," memorabilia collector and alleged victim Bruce L. Fromong told CBS News. "At least one of them had a weapon drawn."
Simpson called Fromong on Saturday, in a tape obtained exclusively by CBS News and appeared to backpedal.
"Any event some of a few of your things were mixed up in my stuff," Simpson said on the tape. "I told you asked me to give it back to you, so how do I get it back to you? So let me know where to - where you want to meet up to get it because, you know I don't want none of your stuff, only my stuff."Photos: Murders In Brentwood"
Police said they were not sure who owned the memorabilia. But they say the manner in which the goods were taken was under investigation.
"Whether or not the property belonged to Mr. Simpson or not is still in debate," Lt. Clint Nichols said Sunday. "Having said that, the manner in which this property was taken, we have a responsibility to look into that, irregardless of who the property belonged to."
After being whisked away in handcuffs, Simpson was booked at the county jail Sunday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary with a firearm, police said.
The district attorney said he expected Simpson to ultimately be charged with seven felonies and one gross misdemeanor.
If convicted of the booking charges, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.
A judge ordered Simpson be held without bail, Sgt. John Loretto said. A court date was set for Thursday.
Simpson attorney Yale Galanter told The Associated Press late Sunday that he would fight the charges vigorously.
"We believe it is an extremely defensible case based on conflicting witness statements, flip-flopping by witnesses and witnesses making deals with the government to flip," Galanter said.
Simpson was taken away from The Palms hotel-casino by plainclothes officers around 11 a.m. Sunday, a day after the arrest of a golfing buddy who police say accompanied him with a gun in the Thursday night holdup. Handcuffed and wearing a golf shirt and jeans, Simpson was placed in an SUV.
"He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Capt. James Dillon said.
Simpson told The Associated Press that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were slain in 1994.
"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."
Police did not allege that Simpson carried a weapon in the incident.
"We don't have any information to lead us to believe he was armed even based on those charges," Nichols said.
Police said they seized two firearms involved in the robbery along with sports memorabilia, mostly signed by Simpson. They also said they recovered collectible baseballs and Joe Montana cleats at private residences early Sunday after serving three search warrants.
Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Saturday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon. Alexander, who was described as one of Simpson's golfing buddies, was released without bail Saturday night.
"Walter was one of the two subjects who had a gun," Dillon said.
Robert Dennis Rentzer, a Los Angeles lawyer representing Alexander, said he was able to arrange his client's release from custody, but wasn't familiar with the allegations.
Police are seeking four other men: Las Vegas residents Clarence Stewart, 53, and Michael McClinton, 49; Tom Scotto, of unknown age and hometown, and another man who was not identified.
Twelve years after he was acquitted in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, Simpson is still as controversial as ever.
His book about the murder, "If I did It", was released last week by the family of Ron Goldman. They're still waiting for nearly all of the $33 million dollars won in a wrongful death civil judgment.
Authorities are now sorting through the items taken from the collectors - to see if any of those rightfully belong to the Goldman family.