O.J. - Arrested!

[Kiwon]

O.J. Simpson arrested in Vegas robbery

LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday on charges related to an armed robbery involving sport memorabilia, police said.
Simpson was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. and is being brought to a police office, Capt. James Dillon said. Police are still determining charges against Simpson.

Several police officers were seen entering the hotel where Simpson is staying; a security guard said police took Simpson out a side door shortly after.

At least one other person has been arrested and police said earlier Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people with him were retrieving items that belonged to him. He told police no guns were involved.

Police said two firearms and other evidence were seized at a private residence early Sunday.

Walter Alexander, 46, of Arizona, 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.

"It was evidence of a crime that was committed," Nichols said. "And I believe we recovered some clothing that the individual was wearing in the commission of the robbery."

The other man who was arrested is accused of being among a group of people that went to the room of memorabilia dealers at the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday and seized items.

Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he did he did not even consider calling the police to help reclaim personal items he believed were stolen from him, because he has found the police unresponsive when he needed help ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were killed 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."

"I'm at the point where I don't rely on the police and this is not a police issue anyway," he said, expressing hope that it will soon be resolved.

Simpson said he was just trying to retrieve memorabilia, particularly photos of his wife and children. There were no guns and no break-in, he said.

As police try to determine what happened in the hotel room, they must unravel the contorted relationships between the erstwhile athlete and a cadre of collectors that has profited from his infamy since the slayings of his ex-wife and Goldman. He was acquitted of murder in 1995, but was found liable for their deaths in a civil case.

Bruce Fromong, one of the collectors behind the robbery complaint, considered Simpson a close friend, though Simpson on Saturday declared otherwise.

Alfred Beardsley, who has collected Simpson items for years, told the AP on Saturday that he wanted the case dropped and was "on O.J.'s side." However, police said he had not formally dropped his complaint.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Re: O.J. - Arrested!

"And I believe we recovered some clothing that the individual was wearing in the commission of the robbery."

Oh no. Don't tell me.

[Kiwon]

I hope it fits him like a glove.......like a glove, get it?

[b bulldog]

Hopefully he gets the max on everything he gets accused of.

[FritzDontBlitz]

this story gets funnier as it goes on.

only oj could get arrested for stealing his own stuff.

[retailguy]

Hopefully he gets the max on everything he gets accused of.

can he get life?

[oregonpackfan]

It's amazing how O.J. just can not get out of the limelight. It's like a soap opera with him.

[swede]

I actually thought that the LAPD probably threw that damn bloody glove in his backyard, explaining the thump that Kato heard, because how else could OJ's blood be dripped on the driveway in front and a glove also be in the bac...

...I'm sorry, wrong decade. I get so mixed up with OJ crimes.

[Willard]

After OJ was acquitted he said he would spend the rest of his life scouring the universe, leaving no stone unturned, to find the REAL killer of his ex-wife and her friend. Perhaps he was just making sure the real killer was not hiding in this hotel room. This sounds like justifiable breaking & entering to me. There's a killer out there for crimany sakes. Give Juice an opportunity to track him down and make this a safer world!

[Kiwon]

It's getting better......held without bail.
.................................................. ..........................................

O.J. Simpson Ordered Held Without Bail

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Police arrested O.J. Simpson on Sunday, saying he was part of an armed group who burst into a Las Vegas hotel room and snatched memorabilia that documented his own sports career, long ago eclipsed by scandal. The arrest starts a new legal odyssey for the fallen football star who more than a decade ago was acquitted of the slayings of his ex-wife and a friend, and opens the possibility he could spend decades behind bars.

Simpson was taken away from The Palms casino-hotel by plainclothes officers 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 later ordered by a judge to be held without bail, police said.

"He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Capt. James Dillon said.

Simpson was at the Clark County Detention Center on Sunday night for booking on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary with a firearm, police said. The district attorney, meanwhile, 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.

"He is facing a lot of time," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday 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 killed 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 personally 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," said police Lt. Clint Nichols.

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 on three search warrants. But "whether or not the property belonged to Mr. Simpson is a matter of debate," Nichols said.

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," Capt. James 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 also are seeking four men: Clarence Stewart, 53, of Las Vegas, Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, Tom Scotto, whose age and hometown were not known, and another man who was not identified.

Simpson, a Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor, lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife and Goldman were killed. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, welcomed the possibility that Simpson could go to prison.

"He's believed for years, decades, that he's entitled to do anything he wants, and the legal system and society has basically agreed with him," Goldman said. "This time, hopefully, he'll get what he deserves. He'll get jail time."

Police said Sunday that Simpson asked to speak with his lawyer before proceeding with an interview, although he spoke several times with investigators before his arrest. The attorney, Yale Galanter, said that he was attempting to get Simpson released.

"Obviously we intend to fight these 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," he said.

Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors were selling some of his items. Riccio set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.

Simpson said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and they took the collectibles.

Alfred Beardsley, one of the sports memorabilia collectors who was in the hotel room, has said he wants the case dropped and that he's "on O.J.'s side."

"It's like a bad dream," Beardsley said. "I'm sad that O.J. is in custody."

Beardsley said he blames the whole thing on Riccio. "If they don't charge Riccio I will be very upset. That guy lied to O.J. and got him all pumped up," he said.

Simpson's arrest came just days after the Goldman family published a book that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It" about how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman had he actually done it.

After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer." During the weekend, the book was the hottest seller in the country, hitting No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com

[the_idle_threat]

I really respect O.J. for his HOF playing career and oscar-winning acting, but if this turns out to be true and he turns out to be a criminal, he's really gonna lose my respect.

[Kiwon]

As a kid, O.J. was a hero of mine. Everybody wanted to be "the Juice" when we played football. I made a special trip to see him play in person during his last year in the pros.

But the first trial in 1994 exposed a side of O.J. that the public did not know about. I lost respect for him then and nothing he's done in the intervening 13 years has done anything to change my mind.

To this point, he's "gotten away" with murder (“innocent” in a criminal case and “guilty” in a civil suit). If he's committed a crime in this robbery allegation then I won't weep over his incarceration. Prison is where he should already be, in my opinion.

It's about time the Brown and Goldman families have the satisfaction of knowing that O.J.'s in prison. Simpson will never confess or apologize to them because he's a psychopath. But, at least, they will have the knowledge that he can't enjoy his undeserved freedom and if he continues to taunt them that it will be done while he is behind bars.

[Kiwon]

I wonder how long it will be before the "Don't Squeeze The Juice" T-shirts will be coming out.

[cheesner]

What a fool. He should have gone into the room, stabbed everyone to death, and then gone golfing.

Stick with what works.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I wonder how long it will be before the "Don't Squeeze The Juice" T-shirts will be coming out.

On the very morning after the story broke, the waitress at the diner told me, "better go with the grapefruit juice, that oj's a killer."