Lawyer says Jones lied about shooting

LAS VEGAS – The lawyer for the man accused of shooting three people after a strip club melee involving NFL player Adam Jones alleged Tuesday that Jones “completely fabricated” the story that led to the man’s arrest.

“This entire case rests upon the statement of Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones,” lawyer Jeffrey Segal told the judge who heard Arvin Kenti Edwards plead not guilty to charges that could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

“Pacman Jones’ story is completely fabricated,” Segal said outside court.

Clark County District Court Judge Valorie Vega set trial for March 2 and bail at $2 million. Segal said he intends to file a request for a lower bail amount.

In court, Segal told the judge that police arrested the wrong man based on the word of a troubled sports figure whose account of an NBA All-Star weekend melee inside the Minxx strip club and the shooting outside couldn’t be trusted.

Segal said Jones refused to cooperate with investigators after the Feb. 19, 2007, shooting, then identified Edwards “after making a deal with the state where felony charges were dismissed so that he could get himself reinstated with the NFL.”

“Nine months later, he comes forward with this story about how Mr. Edwards did this,” Segal said, “after the state agreed not to prosecute him for these attempted murders.”

Police said Jones, a 24-year-old cornerback who was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Dallas Cowboys this summer, “instigated” a brawl inside the club by showering strippers on stage with dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag.

Jones was charged with two felony counts of coercion stemming from allegations that he threatened to kill club employees and scuffled with a bar bouncer. He was never charged in the shooting.