| | Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas -- A grand jury could review evidence
against former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, who was
arrested at an apartment where law officers say they found
marijuana and other drugs.
The Denton County district attorney's office will determine
whether to prosecute Irvin, the FBI said Tuesday.
A grand jury would receive any accusations involving a possible
felony offense, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Henry told the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Wednesday's editions.
"If they send it up here, we are going to review it just like
any other case," he said.
But FBI special agent Lori Bailey and Henry said the case is not
on a fast track.
"We are not accelerating our efforts to expedite this matter,"
Bailey said. "It will pass through our system like any other
investigation."
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FBI's statement
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"On Aug. 9, 2000, agents and officers for the (Collin/Denton Counties)
task force attempted to serve the arrest warrant for Rhonda Adaham at her
residence in Dallas, Texas. Upon approaching the front door of Adaham's
apartment, agents and officers knocked on the door numerous times, announced
they were law enforcement and called for Adaham to open the door. After
waiting a significant amount of time, it became apparent that any occupant
of the apartment was not going to open the door. Task Force agents and
officers forcibly entered the apartment, discovering Michael Irvin and Nelly
Adaham in close proximity to a marijuana cigarette. Additionally, small
amounts of a substance resembling cocaine were discovered, along with pills
later determined to be the drug ecstacy.
"Michael Irvin and Nelly Adaham were placed under arrest for possession
of marijuana under two ounces. Subsequent investigation into this matter has
led to the determination that charges will not be sought against Mr. Irvin
for marijuana possession. The investigation regarding drug activity at the
Adaham apartment on August 9 remains ongoing. Results of this investigation
will be referred to the Denton County District Attorney's office for
presecutive consideration."
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Two days after arresting Irvin and a woman at the north Dallas
apartment, members of a drug task force announced they would not
seek marijuana charges against Irvin. He had been arrested on
investigation of misdemeanor marijuana possession.
"It becomes a local prosecutive matter," Bailey said.
Authorities said they found less than two ounces of marijuana
along with ecstasy pills.
A drug task force had a warrant for the apartment's tenant, who
was not there. Instead, Irvin and the tenant's sister were at the
apartment.
"We had been over there one other time," said Bailey. "We did
not know that Michael Irvin had ever been there."
Apartment tenant Ronda Adham, who is also identified as Rhonda
Adaham on some official documents, was arrested by task force
agents on Aug. 10 in a Dallas suburb. She was indicted on federal
drug trafficking charges in 1999 and had violated conditions of her
pretrial release.
Adham was part of a group accused of selling the heroin that
killed Mark Tuinei of the Dallas Cowboys last year, according to
published reports.
Earlier reports also said that a substance that appeared to be
cocaine had been found in the apartment where Irvin was arrested.
Irvin in 1996 had pleaded no contest to felony cocaine
possession in exchange for four years of deferred probation, a
$10,000 fine and dismissal of misdemeanor marijuana possession
charges.
The NFL suspended Irvin for five games. He finished his deferred
probation on the charge just before he announced his retirement
last month.
Irvin, who was hired for Fox Sports Net's Sunday pregame show,
has insisted he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the
drugs were not his. He won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys.
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