BLAZERS GUARD ARRESTED FOR DRUGS

PHOENIX - Damon Stoudamire was arrested on marijuana charges after
allegedly trying to pass through an airport metal detector with almost
1 1/2 ounces of the drug wrapped in aluminum foil.

The Portland Trail Blazers' guard was stopped at the Tucson airport
Thursday as he prepared to board a flight to New Orleans, police said
Monday.

The team immediately suspended Stoudamire and fined him
$250,000.

He was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug
paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. Police said he was carrying almost
40 grams of marijuana.

After Stoudamire set off the metal detector, he placed the drug and
rolling papers into a plastic security bin, police said. Security
officials then summoned police.

Stoudamire told officers that the drug was marijuana and that it was
his.

Stoudamire was released on his own recognizance and is to appear in
court July 25. He could face a sentence of up to $2,500 in fines and
unsupervised probation on each charge. People facing similar charges
to Stoudamire's usually pay around $200 in fines, said Rick Unklesbay,
Pima County's chief criminal deputy county attorney.

Calls to Stoudamire's attorney, Steve Houze, were not
returned.

Trail Blazers president Steve Patterson said Stoudamire would be
suspended until there is a ``satisfactory response to these matters.''

Patterson also said the team is working with union representatives to
get Stoudamire into a drug rehabilitation program.

Patterson said the arrest has again compromised an image the team is
trying to rebuild after Stoudamire's and other players' previous drug
and legal problems.

``Actions like this on Damon's part are contrary to that effort and
cannot be tolerated,'' Patterson said. ``We are committed to changing
this behavior and changing the image of this franchise.''

Patterson also said he would void Stoudamire's contract if he could,
but hasn't found a provision in the contract that would allow him to
do so.

Stoudamire has been arrested twice before on drug charges.

In November, Stoudamire and teammate Rasheed Wallace were passengers
in a vehicle that was stopped for speeding on a highway outside
Chehalis, Wash., after a game with Seattle. A search of the vehicle
turned up a small amount of marijuana, police said.

Stoudamire agreed to attend drug and alcohol counseling and stay out
of legal trouble for the next year to have misdemeanor charges against
him dropped.

If convicted of the latest charges, Stoudamire would face a mandatory
sentence of one day in jail because of that previous agreement. Andrew
Toynbee, chief criminal deputy with the Lewis County, Wash., district
attorney's office, said prosecutors might seek a longer sentence.

Earlier in 2002, Stoudamire was charged with a felony after police
found a large bag of marijuana in his home while they responded to a
burglar alarm.

A judge declared the search illegal.

Stoudamire was drafted from the University of Arizona in 1995 by the
Toronto Raptors, where he was Rookie of the Year in 1996. He was
traded to the Trail Blazers in 1998.