Friday, February 29, 2008

The Pacers are facing another wave of unwanted attention following the arrest of a murder suspect after he had been at the home of one player and a reported rape at the home of another.

While police say F Shawne Williams and G Marquis Daniels were not involved in either case, both have been in recent legal trouble, and the incidents have frustrated a team trying to improve its tarnished image.

"We've got to be very clear about this: We don't want our players hanging around murderers," President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird said yesterday. "That's not a good sign for our young fans. It's not a good sign for management."

Williams left the team's game Wednesday night after learning a man had been arrested on a Tennessee murder warrant soon after leaving Williams's Indianapolis home. Williams did not practice with the team yesterday and will not travel with the Pacers to tonight's game in Toronto.

Officers arrested 20-year-old Gary Bohanon of Memphis for a fatal shooting last October at a Memphis auto repair shop. He was spotted at Williams's home Wednesday evening and arrested after he left as a passenger in a truck registered to Williams, federal marshals said.

Williams was arrested with Bohanon in September after a traffic stop when an officer found marijuana in the SUV that Williams was driving. Williams pleaded guilty to driving without a license, while a drug charge was filed against his passenger.

Happy Walters, Williams's agent, said his client was unaware Bohanon had been at his home.

The arrest of Bohanon came just days after a woman told police that she had been raped early Sunday during a small gathering at Daniels's home in suburban Carmel.

Daniels is not a suspect in the rape, but a man who was there could face charges pending the results of evidence tests in the coming weeks, the Hamilton County sheriff's department said.

¿ CASSELL WAIVED: The last-place Clippers waived Sam Cassell after he missed four straight games with a sprained right wrist.

He averaged 12.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 38 games. Earlier in the season, the 38-year-old point guard missed 12 games with a strained left calf.

-- From News Services