Ex-Buckeye Clarett Surrenders To Police

U.S. entry Pirates of the Caribbean, front, and the Netherlands' ABN Amro Two set sail in the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in South Africa. (By Obed Zilwa -- Associated Press)

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett turned himself in last night on charges of robbing two people at gunpoint in an alley behind a bar in Columbus, Ohio.

His lawyer, Percy Squire , said his client would be jailed overnight and was set to appear in court today, where he planned to enter a plea of not guilty.

Clarett was sought on two counts of aggravated robbery since early Sunday, when police said he flashed a gun and demanded property from a man and a woman behind the Opium Lounge in downtown Columbus.

Police said he fled with two men in a sport-utility vehicle after he was identified by the bar owner, who happened to come out into the alley. No one was injured.

The 22-year-old former Buckeye star, who helped the team win the national championship in 2002, turned himself in around 9 p.m. at the Franklin County jail, Columbus Detective Art Hughes said.

Around the same time, fourth-ranked Ohio State was finishing a 34-20 win over No. 5 Notre Dame at the Fiesta Bowl.

Myke Clarett , Clarett's father, declined comment when reached at his home last night. A recorded message on the voicemail box for his mother, Michelle Clarett , indicated that it was full.

SAILING: ABN Amro Two of the Netherlands pulled ahead of Brasil 1 shortly after the start of the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in Cape Town, South Africa.

After 90 minutes, ABN Amro Two took advantage of light southeasterly winds close to shore and the presence of a container ship to take a slim lead over the Brazilian yacht.

The 7,020-mile leg goes through the iceberg-strewn southern Indian Ocean and ends in Melbourne, Australia. Another Dutch boat, ABN Amro One, took the first leg from Vigo, Spain, to South Africa.

The race ends in June in Gothenburg, Sweden, after stops in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.

SKIING: French men's giant slalom coach Severino Bottero was killed in an auto accident in the Alps.

Bottero, 47, died after his car went off a road and into a ditch between the towns of Sallanches and Cluses, regional highway operator AMTB said. Bottero was in the car alone.

The Italian-born Bottero was on the way to join the French team in the Swiss town of Bernex after a family holiday in the Piedmont region of Italy, police and highway officials said.

HOCKEY: Colorado Avalanche forward Brad May will miss four to five weeks because of a sprained knee.

May was hurt in the second period of Colorado's 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. He has 2 goals, 2 assists and 59 penalty minutes in 34 games.

TENNIS: Peter Wessels beat former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), to give the Netherlands a 2-1 victory at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

Earlier in the event for men and women, Michaella Krajicek gave the Dutch a 1-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Gisela Dulko . Then Gaudio and Dulko beat Krajicek and Wessels, 4-6, 6-3, 10-5, in a match tiebreaker to give Argentina its only win.

-- From News Services