PHOENIX -- Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was charged
Wednesday with drug possession and driving under the influence of
drugs, and the Maricopa County prosecutor says he wants to send him
to prison.
"He has run out of second chances, at least in my book,"
attorney Andrew Thomas said in a news conference.
Tyson, 40, was charged with two felonies for drug possession and
two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs. If
convicted of all four charges, he could be sentenced to between 2 and 7 years.
The charges stem from his arrest Friday in Scottsdale, where
Tyson was pulled over after leaving a nightclub. An officer found
bags of cocaine in his back pocket and another in a package of
cigarettes in his car, according to court records.
Tyson's criminal attorney, Thomas Marlow, didn't return phone
calls Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Tyson's arrest was the latest in a string of run-ins with the
law, dating back more than a decade.
In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana. Six years
later, the former boxing champ pleaded no contest to misdemeanor
assault charges in Maryland.
Thomas said Tyson's record makes him eligible for prison time
instead of Arizona's drug treatment programs for nonviolent
offenders.
"I don't take any pleasure out of doing this," Thomas said.
"A week ago, my kids and I were watching Rocky Balboa in the movie
theater, and we saw Mike Tyson make a cameo appearance in the
movie, and now here we are and he's looking at going back to
prison."
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history in
1986, when at 20 he knocked out Trevor Berbick. Four years later he
was knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas. By 1997, Tyson's
career hit its low point when he bit Evander Holyfield's ear during
a fight.
Tyson recently got back in the ring for a series of four-round
exhibitions. When announcing the world tour, Tyson told reporters
he was deep in debt and wondered if people would still pay to watch
him fight.
On Friday, Tyson was released without bond after a brief court
appearance. He didn't make any comment to reporters, except to
offer a greeting.
Thomas said Tyson should be back in court for a preliminary
hearing within the next two weeks.
The car Tyson was driving was spotted weaving and nearly struck
a police SUV after he ran a stop sign early Friday, according to a
police probable cause statement filed in court. During the stop,
police said they saw him trying to wipe a white powder off the
console of his car.
No alcohol was detected in his system. But Thomas said Tyson
failed a sobriety test and officers searching his vehicle found
three bags that later tested positive for cocaine.
The officer who made the arrest wrote in his report that Tyson
"admitted to using today and stated he is an addict and has a
problem."
Tyson is required to submit to drug and alcohol testing and is
prohibited from drinking or taking any nonprescription drugs while
the case is pending.