Lawyers get ‘cryptic’ threat intended for Clarett
Judge likely to issue gag order on former Ohio State football standout
 Kiichiro Sato / AP Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his sport utility vehicle, a police spokesman said. |
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - A typewritten, “cryptic” threat against Maurice Clarett was sent to the law office representing the jailed former Ohio State football star, his attorney said Tuesday.
The message, sent from Los Angeles and received Monday, was typed on a piece of paper, cut out and taped on a postcard, said Michael Hoague, one of Clarett’s attorneys. He said Clarett has received threats before, but did not detail what was written in this one.
“We don’t know quite what to make of it,” Hoague said. “It’s very cryptic.”
Clarett was arrested last week following a police chase near the home of a woman set to testify against him in a January robbery. Four loaded guns were found in his sport utility vehicle, and officers said they had to use pepper spray to subdue him because he was wearing a bullet-proof vest that thwarted their stun guns.
A judge handling the robbery case said he will most likely issue a gag order on Clarett and his attorneys because of all the national media coverage the case has received.
“This case will be tried in the courtroom and not in some newspaper or radio station or TV station or in some national publication,” Judge David Fais said. He expected to make a decision in the next few days.
Assistant prosecutor Doug Stead requested the order, accusing defense attorneys of talking to reporters too much.
The judge hastily summoned Clarett and attorneys from both sides to his courtroom Tuesday afternoon after the sheriff’s office notified Fais that a reporter was planning to visit Clarett. During the hearing, Clarett’s attorneys withdrew the request for their client to meet with the reporter.
Clarett had been set for trial Monday on charges accusing him of robbing two people of a cell phone outside a bar early on New Year’s Day. The judge delayed the trial and ordered a mental evaluation over the objections of Clarett and his attorneys following his arrest Aug. 9 on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
Clarett, who scored the winning touchdown for the Buckeyes in the 2002 national championship game, is jailed without bond.
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“He’s been in very good spirits,” Hoague said. “He’s basically sitting in his cell, doing sit-ups and push-ups and reading the Bible, all day long.”
During a 10-minute court appearance Tuesday, Clarett, wearing standard-issue jail clothing, was permitted to enter the courtroom without handcuffs. At the end of the hearing, he turned and raised his hand to greet his mother and girlfriend who were sitting a few feet behind the defense table.
His mother, Michelle Clarett, declined to comment.
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