Cleveland DT busted carrying loaded gun into airport

Sporting news from the AP and the Houston Chronicle…

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers was arrested Thursday at Hopkins International Airport after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on luggage.

Rogers, who had been at the team’s suburban training facility in recent days taking part in a voluntary offseason program, was stopped at a security checkpoint on Concourse C when officials spotted a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his bag, police said in a statement.

He was arrested at 12:15 p.m. “without incident,” transferred to a downtown processing center and booked for carrying a concealed weapon, a third-degree felony.

Sgt. Sammy Morris of the Cleveland Police Department said Rogers was still being held in the city’s jail Thursday night.

No charges have been filed yet, police said, though the 31-year-old Rogers could face federal fines for carrying the firearm.

It’s not yet clear what Rogers, who lives in Houston during the offseason, told officials about the gun or whether he has a permit for it. It’s also unclear whether he was traveling with anyone.

Browns president Mike Holmgren issued a statement saying the team was aware of Rogers’ arrest.

“We will continue to gather additional information, and until the legal process has taken its course, we will reserve any further comment,” the statement said.

A message seeking comment was left with Rogers’ agent, Kennard McGuire.

Beyond his legal problems, Rogers, arguably the Browns’ best player, will likely face league penalties if it is determined he violated the NFL’s player-conduct policy.

A three-time Pro Bowler who has played two seasons with the Browns, Rogers missed Cleveland’s final five games last season after breaking his leg on Nov. 29 against Cincinnati. He was acquired by the Browns in 2008 in a trade with Detroit for cornerback Leigh Bodden and a third-round draft pick.

Rogers came to the Browns with a spotty reputation. He was suspended for four games in 2006 for taking a banned substance to control his weight. In 2007, an exotic dancer claimed he inappropriately touched her at a club in Detroit, but an investigation cleared him.

The Lions also had issues with Rogers’ weight and his commitment.

Rogers made the Pro Bowl in his first season with Cleveland, recording 4 1/2 sacks and 81 tackles in 16 games. Blessed with amazing quickness for a man his size, Rogers has also excelled in blocking field goals and extra points. Before getting hurt last season, Rogers blocked one field goal — the 13th of his career — and two extra points.

Rogers and Browns coach Eric Mangini got off to a rough start before last season. Rogers had felt slighted when Mangini, weeks after being hired by Cleveland, did not acknowledge him at an awards banquet at a downtown hotel. Rogers reportedly asked to be traded, but the two met and patched up any differences and Mangin often praised Rogers, known to his teammates as “Big Baby,” for his leadership last season.

Best not to say “boo” to an armed man

The AP brings us this public service announcement…

BANDERA — Be careful who you say “Boo!” to.

A Bandera County jailer was shot in the thigh after he jumped out and roared at a deputy in a darkened room at Bandera County Sheriff’s Department office.

Chief Deputy Don Berger says Deputy A.J. Griffin shot 22-year-old Daniel Spengler before dawn Sunday. Spengler was airlifted to Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio for treatment.

Berger says the 36-year-old deputy “revert to his training” when the jailer jumped at him, shooting Spengler once, then giving him first aid.

Griffin is on paid leave until the Texas Rangers complete their investigation. Berger says Spengler’s wound does not appear to be life-threatening, but he faces possible disciplinary action after he recovers.

Bandera is about 40 miles west of San Antonio.

Smoking ban? What smoking ban?

This comes from Reuters…

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A restaurant owner in southwest Turkey was shot dead after he tried to prevent his customers from smoking to comply with a new law on the use of tobacco indoors, Hurriyet daily said on Thursday.

A fight broke out after Hidir Karayigit, 46, ordered a group of customers to extinguish their cigarettes when they began smoking at his “meyhane,” a traditional restaurant that serves alcohol, in the town of Saruhanli, Hurriyet said.

One of the customers shot Karayigit four times after he took away the group’s cigarettes, said witness Hamza Havutcu, Karayigit’s business partner who was also shot and wounded.

Turkey’s government on July 19 introduced a nationwide ban on indoor smoking, including bars and restaurants, despite the fact that half of Turks aged between the ages of 15 and 49 smoke; one of the highest rates in the world.

“I’m deeply saddened that the first smoking-ban murder occurred in our town,” Saruhanli Mayor Veli Yalcin told Hurriyet. “They either shouldn’t have outlawed smoking or they should have outlawed alcohol along with smoking.”

And you think what’s underneath the sofa is scary

Only in Houston…

A felony suspect who tipped the scale at more than 500 pounds carried an unloaded 9mm pistol into city and county jails beneath flabs of his skin even though law enforcement officers repeatedly searched him, authorities said Thursday.

George Vera, 25, was released on $10,000 bail after being charged with possessing or selling unlabeled recordings and possession of a firearm in a correctional facility. Harris County District Attorney’s spokeswoman Donna Hawkins said both charges are third-degree felonies, punishable by two to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

Police arrested Vera on Sunday after he was spotted selling apparently bootlegged compact discs out of the back of a sport utility vehicle parked at Hollister and Pitner, Hawkins said.

Police spokesman Victor Senties said Vera was searched three times by police personnel: once at the scene, again, more thoroughly, when he arrived at the city jail, and a final time before he was transferred to the Harris County Jail.

Vera was subjected to an additional search at the county lockup.

City and county law enforcement spokespeople said inmates at both the city and county jails are not required to pass through a metal detector or undergo wand searches.

Vera’s possession of the firearm came to light Monday when he approached a county guard during a shower break and admitted having smuggled the weapon, authorities said.

The incident came just days after the county lockup at 1200 Baker passed a surprise inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The review found that deficiencies cited after an April inspection — malfunctioning intercoms, broken toilets and crowded holding cells — had been successfully addressed.

Super Bowl hero indicted on gun charge

Thank you ESPN…

NEW YORK — Former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress was indicted by a grand jury on weapons charges for shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub and faces a minimum prison sentence of 3½ years if convicted, prosecutors announced Monday.

The indictment charged the 31-year-old Burress with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.

“The grand jury applied the law to the facts of this case,” Morgenthau said. He said the accidental shooting at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Nov. 29 was treated “like any similar case against any other defendant.”

Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the indictment, which came after Burress testified before the grand jury and expressed remorse.

“When you have the mayor and the district attorney both publicly demanding a maximum prison sentence, it was perhaps too much to hope for the grand jury to conduct a sympathetic review of the unique facts of this sad case,” Brafman said in a statement.

Burress’ former teammate Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress in the club and drove him to the hospital, was not indicted. Immediately after the decision was announced, the NFL said Pierce would not face a league suspension.

The panel also did not indict the nightclub security guard who carried the gun to Pierce’s car or the hospital staff members who failed to notify police that Burress had been shot.

Morgenthau said hospital personnel were guilty of “a screw-up rather than a cover-up” and the security guard exhibited “bad judgment in the first degree” but did not commit a crime.

Pierce, who also testified before the grand jury last week, was practicing with the Giants in Albany when he learned of the panel’s decision. He was not going to speak with the media on Monday, team officials said.

Giants president John Mara said the team was pleased that the linebacker was not indicted.

“We said last week we felt strongly that Antonio’s actions did not warrant criminal charges, and obviously the grand jury, having heard all of the testimony, felt the same way,” he said.

Pierce’s lawyer, Michael Bachner, said, “By appearing before the grand jury for almost three hours and answering the grand jury’s very direct and very considered questions, it was clear to us that they understood that Mr. Pierce acted as any citizen under extraordinary circumstances would have acted.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin was glad the matter was now behind the team.

“As I said yesterday, we are anxious to start the new season, nobody more than Antonio,” Coughlin said. “Today’s decision allows him and this team to move forward and focus on our preparation for the season.”

Having Pierce on the field is important to the Giants. He calls the defensive plays.

“Antonio is a leader on this team, but he is still human, and this has been an emotionally draining experience for him,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “We know he was happy to get to training camp [Sunday], and with this behind him, he can focus all his energy and efforts on football. He took this matter very seriously.”

Burress was inside the club when a gun tucked into his waistband slipped down his leg and fired, shooting him in the right thigh.

Prosecutors said Monday that after taking Burress to the hospital, Pierce drove the gun to his own home in New Jersey — not to Burress’ home, as was originally reported. They said he later arranged for it to be taken to Burress’ home.

Assistant District Attorney John Wolfstaetter said the bullet that hit Burress narrowly missed a nightclub security guard who was standing inches away.

The bullet lodged in the floor and was recovered by a bartender, Morgenthau said.

“He wanted it as a souvenir but we told him he had to turn it over,” he said.

The gun was not licensed in New York or in New Jersey, where Burress lived, prosecutors said. Burress’ license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Florida had expired in May 2008.

The charges Burress was indicted on carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 3½ years in prison. He pleaded not guilty to weapons charges earlier this year and is free on $100,000 bail.

The grand jury indictment comes after plea bargain negotiations broke down, apparently because Morgenthau was insisting that Burress serve at least two years in prison under any plea agreement.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Dwyer said it is standard policy to request a two-year sentence as part of a plea bargain on such serious charges.

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown for the Giants over the New England Patriotsin the final minute of the 2008 Super Bowl, also could face disciplinary action by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell’s office announced in June that the league already had started its examination of the shooting, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday’s indictment “will be considered as part of that review.”

The Giants released Burress in April and he has yet to sign with another team.

Sometimes you can’t lose for losing

This tale comes to us from the Associated Press…

PORT ARTHUR — A 20-year-old who made headlines when authorities sought unsuccessfully to remove a bullet lodged in his head for evidence has been sentenced to five years in prison in another case.

Joshua Adams Bush, sentenced Monday for unlawful possession of a firearm, was arrested in May in Port Arthur when police responded to calls reporting a theft.

The Beaumont Enterprise reports Bush was walking away from the scene when police stopped him and another man. Both had pistols.

In the earlier case, prosecutors said Bush exchanged gunfire with a used car dealer after a 2006 break-in and the slug lodged in Bush’s forehead came from the dealer’s gun. Bush claimed he was accidentally shot by a friend.