Charge Against Mavs Coach May Be Dropped: Prosecutor

Armstrong had $37,500 in IOUs at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino

The $40,000 bail that a Dallas Mavericks assistant coach posted can be used to clear up a Las Vegas casino debt that led to his arrest in Los Angeles County, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Darrell Armstrong, 43, can direct that the money be used to satisfy $37,500 in casino markers, or IOUs, claimed by Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, said Samuel Bateman, chief deputy Clark County district attorney in charge of the bad check unit.

"Usually the bail set is the same as the amount owed," Bateman told The Associated Press. "He agreed to convert it to restitution in return for dropping the case."

Efforts by The Associated Press to identify and reach Armstrong's attorney Thursday weren't immediately successful.

Armstrong and Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle declined to comment Thursday night before a game against the Utah Jazz.

Armstrong had been named in a felony warrant issued in December stemming from allegations that he failed to repay four markers he obtained June 14 at Harrah's.

Unpaid casino markers are treated in Nevada like bad checks under a state law that lets district attorneys file criminal charges and collect a percentage of any settlement. Bateman's office stands to gain about $3,750.

Armstrong was arrested Tuesday, after Los Angeles sheriff's deputies identified him as a passenger in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation in Marina Del Rey, Calif. He was freed on bail Wednesday. The driver and another passenger weren't arrested.

Armstrong won't have to appear in person in court when Bateman asks a Las Vegas judge to dismiss the case, the prosecutor said. A date wasn't immediately set.

Mavericks spokeswoman Sarah Melton said Thursday that she had no other information.

Associated Press writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas and AP Sports Writer Lynn DeBruin in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us