Skip to main content
Advertising

Ex-NFL QB Ryan Leaf arrested again in Montana after burglary

HELENA, Mont. -- Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested again Monday, just days after he posted bail on similar charges that he burglarized a home and stole prescription drugs, authorities said.

Leaf was first arrested Friday after police found oxycodone pills that an acquaintance later said the former first-round draft pick stole from his home. Then early Monday, three days after posting a $76,000 bond, Leaf was arrested again on accusations that he broke into another home outside Great Falls, Central Montana Drug Task Force Commander Chris Hickman said.

Reuter: Mock Draft 7.0

Three QBs in the top four picks? Chad Reuter says it'll happen, with the Browns pouncing on Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill. **More ...**

The owners walked into the home Sunday afternoon to find a "tall man with an athletic build" inside, Hickman said. The man told the owners he had the wrong address and left.

The owners later discovered three bottles of prescription medication missing and phoned police. After describing his truck, his clothes and his "shiny black loafers," they picked Leaf out of a photo lineup.

Leaf's attorney, Ken Olson, didn't respond to a call for comment. A call to Leaf's publicist wasn't returned Monday.

Leaf tested positive for drugs at the time of his arrest Friday, according to a sworn statement filed by Hickman with Cascade County District Court. Leaf admitted he had taken about seven oxycodone pills in the past few weeks, including one the day before the arrest, the documents say.

Police obtained a warrant Monday and reviewed data from the GPS in Leaf's pickup truck, searching for information that would link him to the burglaries.

Harrison: R-E-S-P-E-C-T the Giants

Why is nobody making a case for the Giants? Elliot Harrison says Big Blue could win a third Super Bowl in six years. **More ...**

"The navigational system shows that he was in that driveway yesterday afternoon during the time frame of the burglary," Hickman said. The GPS data also showed the truck drove up to between five and 10 other houses in the area, he said.

Leaf appeared by video from the Cascade County Detention Center in his initial court appearance in Great Falls on Monday afternoon on two felony counts of burglary, two felony counts of criminal possession of a dangerous drug, two misdemeanor counts of theft and a probation violation.

Leaf will remain in jail until Wednesday while his probation supervisors decide whether to release him again on bond or revoke the suspended sentence he was given in Texas in 2010, the Great Falls Tribune reported.

Leaf, a former standout quarterback for Washington State, was the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft but flamed out as quarterback for the San Diego Chargers.

Last year, Leaf had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his brain stem and later underwent additional radiation treatments.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.