Clarett clashes with law in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The legal morass that has ensnared Maurice Clarett since he was Ohio State’s star running back mounted Wednesday when police found four loaded guns in his sport utility vehicle and couldn’t subdue him with a stun gun because he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

It was just the latest in a series of problems for the beleaguered Clarett, who hasn’t played a game since scoring the winning touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl as a freshman for Ohio State’s 2002 national champions.

He already faced trial in an armed robbery case next week, and his bond on those charges was raised to $1.1 million after he was jailed on the new weapon and traffic charges.

Clarett hid one semi-automatic handgun under his legs in the driver’s seat and had an AK-47-type assault rifle on the passenger seat, police said. They said they found two other semi-automatic handguns, including one in a holster in a backpack.

“We don’t have any idea why he had them or what, if anything, he was going to do with them,” Columbus police Sgt. Michael Woods said. “But if you’ve got four guns in your car, you’re up to no good.”

The arrest came near the home of a witness set to testify against Clarett next week in the robbery case, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said.

When police tried to shock Clarett, they couldn’t because of the vest and had to use pepper spray.

Clarett’s promising football career was derailed when he was suspended for the 2003 season after being charged with falsifying a police report.

He dropped out of school, then sued and lost in an attempt to be included in the 2004 NFL draft. He was a surprise third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2005 draft but was cut during the preseason.