Hall of Fame linebacker Taylor arrested

[DemocratSinceBirth]

SUFFERN, N.Y. -- Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested early Thursday after being accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at a Montebello, N.Y., hotel, police said.

Taylor, who has a history of drug abuse and runs-in with the law, will be arraigned later Thursday on rape charges. Ramapo police said Taylor has yet to be formally charged.


Taylor's Struggles Off The Field
1986: Admits in public statement that he has received help for substance abuse ... enters six-week drug-rehab program in Houston, stays one week.

1988: Given 30-day four-game suspension for second violation of NFL's drug-abuse policy for cocaine use.

1989: Fails breath test when police find him asleep behind the wheel of his Jeep beside the Garden State Parkway in N.J. ... acquitted in Saddlebrook, N.J., of drunken driving charges ... tries to choke a reporter after a Giants practice.

1996: One of 15 arrested in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for allegedly trying to buy $100 worth of crack from undercover police while in town for a celebrity golf tourney. Charges dropped when LT agrees to 60 hours of public service.

1997: Pleaded guilty to filing false 1990 income-tax return and failing to report $48,000 income from the now-defunct LT Sports Club in East Rutherford, N.J.

1998: Arrested in his New Jersey home in a roundup of deadbeat parents. Released after about 10 hours in jail when a friend pays $6,000 in child support and for an outstanding traffic violation ... arrested again, this time in Florida, for allegedly buying $50 in crack from an undercover cop and for possessing drug paraphernalia.

2009: Arrested in Miami for leaving the scene of an accident.

2010: Arrested by Ramapo, N.Y., police, and accused of raping a minor at a hotel in Montebello.

-- Source: New York Daily News

Taylor will "probably" be charged with third-degree rape, which is statutory and carries a term of up to four years, Christopher St. Lawrence, police commissioner for Ramapo said. Taylor also may be charged with solicitation, which is a misdemeanor.

St. Lawrence said that the girl was taken from Taylor's hotel room by a pimp and driven back to New York City. During the car ride she texted her uncle, who called NYC police. NYC police and the uncle met the girl and the pimp when they arrived back in New York City.

NYC police then alerted Ramapo authorities to what happened. Police then went to Taylor's hotel room and arrested him.

"We're not happy with what took place, but our detectives have made the arrest and processed the scene," St. Lawrence said.

When NYC police met with the girl she had a black eye, but St. Lawrence said that Taylor did not beat the girl.

St. Lawrence also said sex with a 16-year-old can not be consensual in New York State.

An attorney for Taylor, Kenneth Gribetz, said he expected Taylor to be arraigned later Thursday.

"We're confident his innocence will be proven," he said.

The alleged victim was 15 when she ran away from home in the Bronx last march but is 16 now, St. Lawrence said.

Taylor cannot be released on own recognizance but can post bail (if the judge allows).

The Ramapo police department is also looking into charging the pimp for promoting prostitution.

NYC police are looking into the possibility that she was being held captive by her pimp.

Taylor, 51, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 and competed in ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" last year. He had a highly publicized struggle with drug addiction and has had multiple legal issues in retirement.

A quick, fierce and athletic linebacker who redefined his position, Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and led New York to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986. He recorded 132.5 sacks, which doesn't included the 9.5 sacks in 1981 when the statistic wasn't official.

In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.

In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.

In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion. Last November he was charged in Florida with leaving the scene of an accident.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5167613