Two Bears Arrested

Two Cal football players facing criminal charges
By Kristin Bender, STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — Two University of California, Berkeley football players are facing criminal charges following their weekend arrest by campus police a few miles from Memorial Stadium, authorities said Tuesday.
Golden Bears defensive back Bernard Hicks, 18, was arrested on felony possession of marijuana for sale when police uncovered "several individual baggies" of the marijuana packaged for sale during a routine traffic stop.
The car was driven by Cal teammate and wide receiver Robert Jordan, 19, who was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon when police found a dagger hanging around his neck.
Hicks, who was sidelined with a knee injury last season and has not been practicing with the Bears, was suspended from the team pending an investigation, a university official said. Jordan does not face drug charges and was not suspended.
The two were stopped by UC police at 12:20 a.m. Sunday at Piedmont Avenue and Dwight Way, a residential area dotted with fraternity houses near the campus. Police pulled over the 1991 blue Oldsmobile because Hicks, the passenger, was not wearing a seatbelt, said Capt. Mitch Celaya.
Celaya said officers smelled a "strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle," and searched the car. They found "several" individual baggies of pot but declined to say exactly how much was confiscated.
Hicks was arrested and taken to the Berkeley city jail, where he was later released on $10,000 bail, police said.
On Jordan, police uncovered a 7-inch dagger with a 3-inch blade hanging around his neck, Celaya said. Jordan was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon and taken to the city jail. He was later released on his own recognizance.
Both have pleaded not guilty to charges filed Monday by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, said Walnut Creek attorney Larry Cook, who is representing the players.
Hicks is due back in court March 14, and Jordan is scheduled to make his next appearance March 21, said Cook, an attorney with Casper Meadows & Schwartz.
"I don't have any statement to make to the media about it. I'm handling the case and we made an appearance in court (Monday). We are reviewing the matter," Cook added.
Cook said the two are "keeping their focus on school and doing what they have to do.
"These are very good people ... they are handling this maturely and appropriately," Cook said.
The arrests come in the wake of the best season in 55 years of Cal football. After a resurgent 10-1 season, Cal just missed a trip to the Rose Bowl since it didn't rank high enough in the final Bowl Championship Series poll and wound up in the Holiday Bowl.
Officials were tight-lipped about the incident Tuesday, releasing only a short statement.
"We recognize there was an incident that occurred involving Bernard Hicks and Robert Jordan. We would only hope that people will not rush to judgment or draw conclusions until all the information is gathered," the statement said.
Bob Rose, a spokesman for the Cal athletic department, declined further comment.
Both players are attending Cal on football scholarships, according to university officials and published reports on the players. Rose declined to comment on what effect — if any — the arrests would have on those scholarships.
"It's all speculation until the investigation is complete," Rose said.
Jordan moved up as starter at midseason due to injuries. The Hayward High School graduate started six games and caught 29 passes for 332 yards. Hicks, from Edison High School in Fresno, was sidelined by an injury and did not play last season.
This is not the first time in recent months that a Cal football player has been arrested. In December, wide receiver David Gray was arrested on weapons charges stemming from a fight outside a San Francisco nightclub. The San Francisco Police Department later dropped the charges.