COUNTY OFFICIALS CITE LACK OF EVIDENCE IN PIPPEN CASE

Harris County officials said Saturday that the dismissal of
driving-while-intoxicated charges against Houston Rockets star Scottie
Pippen came only after a close review of the evidence against him.

The misdemeanor DWI case was dismissed on Friday.

Chuck Noll, head of the district attorney's misdemeanor section, said
there is a difference between evidence that constitutes probable cause
for an arrest and what is needed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt,
that someone is intoxicated.

Noll said prosecutors reviewed a videotape of the arrest and
interviewed witnesses at the Jones Bar, 400 Main, where Pippen had
been drinking that night. What they found, convinced them there was
not enough evidence to prove a case against Pippen, he said.

In addition, Noll said, there was a conflict in the opinions of some
of the officers involved in the arrest as to whether Pippen was
intoxicated.

Police pulled over the Rockets' 33-year-old star forward downtown
after 1 a.m. on April 22. Pippen reportedly passed cars stopped for a
red light by driving south in the northbound lanes of Main Street.

The officer believed Pippen was drunk and called a DWI Task Force
officer to the scene. Police said Pippen failed a field sobriety test
and was arrested and taken into custody. Later, he refused to take a
Breathalizer test and was charged with misdemeanor DWI. He posted $500
bail and was released.

Pippen had an initial court appearance on April 30, and, until
Friday's dismissal, his next court date had been scheduled for May
26.

Rusty Hardin, Pippen's attorney, said Friday that charges were dropped
because Pippen was innocent.