Post by theultimatekcchiefsfan on May 13, 2003 10:03:43 GMT -5
www.sunspot.net/sports/football/bal-sp.thompson13may13,0,5037374.story?coll=bal%2Dsports%2Dfootball
:police:
Ravens' Thompson is jailed, released
Assistant coach: Charge of harassment is extortion
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By Del Quentin Wilber
Sun Staff
Originally published May 13, 2003
Ravens assistant coach Bennie Thompson was released from jail yesterday on his own recognizance after being charged Sunday with harassing and threatening to kill a city woman during a phone conversation.
Thompson, a special teams assistant who was a Pro Bowl special teams player, appeared during a brief bail hearing at the Central Booking and Intake Center. His lawyer said Thompson, 40, a former Raven who joined the team's coaching staff in 2000 after an 11-year NFL career, had done nothing wrong.
The charges center on a phone conversation between Thompson and Nikki Walden of Northwest Baltimore on Sunday night, police said.
Walden told police that Thompson had called her about 9:25 p.m. and threatened to kill her. He called several other times and hung up, Walden told police, according to court documents.
She showed police a protective order the officers believed required Thompson to avoid contact with her, court records show. That order was actually obtained by a second woman, Nancy Lee, 35, of Columbia, who was a former girlfriend of the assistant coach.
Thompson was arrested later that night on charges of telephone harassment and violating the terms of the temporary protective order that was granted last week to Lee. Lee had sought the order - also known as a restraining order - from a Howard County District Court judge Wednesday. She alleged in a written petition for the order that Thompson had "verbally and mentally abused" her and had slashed the tires of her car.
As part of that same order, Lee also sought to restrain Thompson from contacting Walden, but Judge Neil E. Axel granted protection only to Lee.
Authorities yesterday could not explain why Thompson was charged with violating the order for calling Walden.
Thompson also was charged with assault, harassment and malicious destruction of property in criminal summonses filed by Lee last week in Howard and Carroll counties. One of the allegations - that Thompson grabbed Lee and dragged her across a road in Carroll County - dates to last year, according to court records. Details of the other cases were not available because the documents are sealed until served on Thompson.
Thompson's lawyer, Terry Lavenstein, said Lee is seeking money from his client in exchange for leaving him alone. Lee could not be reached.
"This is extortion," Lavenstein said.
He said his client spoke to Walden but never threatened her. He also said Walden and Lee are friends.
Ravens officials said they were going to wait to see what happens in court.
"We believe in due process of the law, and there are two sides to every story," said Kevin Byrne, the team's vice president of public and community relations.
It is not the first time Thompson has attracted the attention of authorities. He was an early suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, son and another man in Louisiana in 1995. Four men were later convicted in the killings. Thompson was cleared of any involvement.
Sun staff writers Brent Jones, Jason Song and Athima Chansanchai contributed to this article.
Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun
Related articles
:police:
Ravens' Thompson is jailed, released
Assistant coach: Charge of harassment is extortion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Del Quentin Wilber
Sun Staff
Originally published May 13, 2003
Ravens assistant coach Bennie Thompson was released from jail yesterday on his own recognizance after being charged Sunday with harassing and threatening to kill a city woman during a phone conversation.
Thompson, a special teams assistant who was a Pro Bowl special teams player, appeared during a brief bail hearing at the Central Booking and Intake Center. His lawyer said Thompson, 40, a former Raven who joined the team's coaching staff in 2000 after an 11-year NFL career, had done nothing wrong.
The charges center on a phone conversation between Thompson and Nikki Walden of Northwest Baltimore on Sunday night, police said.
Walden told police that Thompson had called her about 9:25 p.m. and threatened to kill her. He called several other times and hung up, Walden told police, according to court documents.
She showed police a protective order the officers believed required Thompson to avoid contact with her, court records show. That order was actually obtained by a second woman, Nancy Lee, 35, of Columbia, who was a former girlfriend of the assistant coach.
Thompson was arrested later that night on charges of telephone harassment and violating the terms of the temporary protective order that was granted last week to Lee. Lee had sought the order - also known as a restraining order - from a Howard County District Court judge Wednesday. She alleged in a written petition for the order that Thompson had "verbally and mentally abused" her and had slashed the tires of her car.
As part of that same order, Lee also sought to restrain Thompson from contacting Walden, but Judge Neil E. Axel granted protection only to Lee.
Authorities yesterday could not explain why Thompson was charged with violating the order for calling Walden.
Thompson also was charged with assault, harassment and malicious destruction of property in criminal summonses filed by Lee last week in Howard and Carroll counties. One of the allegations - that Thompson grabbed Lee and dragged her across a road in Carroll County - dates to last year, according to court records. Details of the other cases were not available because the documents are sealed until served on Thompson.
Thompson's lawyer, Terry Lavenstein, said Lee is seeking money from his client in exchange for leaving him alone. Lee could not be reached.
"This is extortion," Lavenstein said.
He said his client spoke to Walden but never threatened her. He also said Walden and Lee are friends.
Ravens officials said they were going to wait to see what happens in court.
"We believe in due process of the law, and there are two sides to every story," said Kevin Byrne, the team's vice president of public and community relations.
It is not the first time Thompson has attracted the attention of authorities. He was an early suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, son and another man in Louisiana in 1995. Four men were later convicted in the killings. Thompson was cleared of any involvement.
Sun staff writers Brent Jones, Jason Song and Athima Chansanchai contributed to this article.
Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun
Related articles
