News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Panthers' Jarrett pleads

Published: Jun 24, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: Jun 24, 2008 05:48 AM

Panthers' Jarrett pleads

Embattled receiver avoids DWI trial with guilty plea

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Carolina Panthers receiver Dwayne Jarrett pleaded guilty to driving while impaired on Monday, minutes before he was scheduled to go on trial.

Jarrett surrendered his driver's license and was ordered to pay $420 in court costs and perform 24 hours of community service after appearing in Mecklenburg County District Court.

Jarrett will enter the first stage of the NFL's substance abuse program, meaning he will be subject to more frequent tests for drugs and alcohol.

Jarrett, 21, was arrested March 11 in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill after police say he crossed the center line and ran a red light. The police report said Jarrett's blood-alcohol level was .12, above North Carolina's legal limit of .08.

The DWI arrest capped a tumultuous rookie season for Jarrett.

Expected to become a starter after being taken in the second round out of Southern California, Jarrett struggled to crack the lineup and was on the inactive list for much of the season. He was held to six catches for 73 yards and no touchdowns and was criticized for not learning the playbook.

Jarrett also had a well-documented run-in with the team's star receiver, Steve Smith.

BENSON ORDERED TO GET ALCOHOL CAR LOCK: Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was ordered Monday to install an ignition-lock breath tester in his car after he was charged with drunken driving.

Benson was charged in separate incidents of boating and driving while intoxicated. Travis County (Texas) Court-at-Law Judge Elisabeth Earle ordered him to install the device within 72 hours as a condition of his bail at a pretrial hearing.

The device prevents the car from starting if it detects alcohol.

TWO CHARGED IN BURGLARY: Two Green Bay men face charges of burglarizing the home of Packers running back Noah Herron, who hit one of them over the head with a bedpost when the man came in his bedroom.

Yeshua Tate, 31, was charged with two counts of being party to burglary on Friday after he was released from a Madison, Wis., hospital.

The same charges were filed Monday in Brown County Circuit Court against Joel Mullin-Romo, 20, who was arrested outside Herron's home. He has remained in custody on a probation hold.

GIANTS WAIVE LORENZEN: Backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen was waived by the New York Giants on Monday, a little more than a month before the Super Bowl champions open training camp.

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