Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 20 September 2007 — Page 17

The Muncie Times • September 20, 2007 • Page 17

O.J. Simpson

Football great Simpson

Football great OJ. Simpson has been arrested and charged with armed robbery in connection with a hotel break-in and theft of sports memorabilia in Las Vegas, CNN reported Sunday. (The former NFL record setting running back is being held without bail, which has prompted a support rally and press conference from activist Najee Ali.) Citing unidentified sources, TMZ.com says Simpson was one of several men who broke into a memorabilia dealer’s room on Thursday night and held him at gunpoint while they retrieved items once owned by Simpson and other sports stars. Police have also

arrested a man who was with Simpson during the alleged armed robbery, the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper reported on Sunday. Meanwhile, the sports memorabilia collector who accused Simpson of armed robbery said Saturday that he is now “on O.J.’s side” and prefers that the whole case be dismissed. "I want this thing to go away. I have health problems," sai d Alfred Beardsley, the Burbank, Calif, collector who told police on Thursday that Simpson and several other men broke into the room and stole the items at gunpoint. "I have no desire to fly back and forth to Las Vegas to testify," he said. "How are they

arrested for robbery

going to have a witness who's on O.J.'s side?" Beardsley said he contacted authorities only because the items were valuable and if he had not reported them as stolen he would be "held accountable for all the stuff." Beardsley said Friday that Simpson had called him to apologize. Simpson said he never once thought about calling the police to help retrieve personal items he claimed was stolen from him, because the cops have been unresponsive to his calls for help ever since the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. "The police, since my trouble, have not

worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J. " "I'm at the point where I don't rely on the police and this is not a police issue anyway," he said, expressing hope that it will soon be resolved. Simpson, 60, said Saturday he was just trying to retrieve memorabilia, particularly photos of his wife and children. Meanwhile, TMZ.com has obtained an audio tape of O.J. Simpson's confrontation with the sports memorabilia dealer that led to his arrest. Simpson repeatedly says, "Think you can steal my s**t and sell it?"

The site says the tape was recorded by Thomas Riccio, who coowns the auction house Universal Rarities. Riccio met up with Simpson just before the confrontation at the Palace Station Casino on Thursday night. Riccio was reportedly with Simpson to help him prove certain memorabilia being auctioned by Alfred Beardsley was stolen. Riccio says he believed Simpson was going to confront Beardsley in the hotel room to give him an ultimatum — either hand over the goods or Simpson would call the cops. Source: musicsnippet.com