Arrest warrants issued in Nevada for Shock players Mark Jackson and Samuel Charles

Arrest warrants have been issued against two Spokane Shock players in connection with money reportedly stolen from the purses of three women last month in a Las Vegas lounge.

The Clark County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday issued warrants against lineman Mark Jackson and receiver Samuel Charles for conspiracy to commit a non-felony crime and larceny.

Both players were placed on Arena Football League suspension on June 5, which is the same day as the initial story was published in The Spokesman-Review detailing allegations of the theft that were captured on security video.

Since neither charge is a felony, it’s unlikely Las Vegas authorities will seek to extradite Jackson and Charles from Spokane to face the charges, said Tess Driver, who is the executive assistant to the Clark County District Attorney.

“As a rule, we don’t extradite on a misdemeanor charge,” Driver said. “They could get picked up where they are at, or they could get pulled over and held until we figure out extradition. But in all reality, that’s not that serious of a charge that we would extradite.”

Typically, persons charged with misdemeanors can hire an attorney who is licensed to practice in Nevada and have them handle the initial appearances in court on their behalf, Driver said. However, she was unaware of any arrangements made by the players.

Deputy Mark Gregory, spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said his agency likely would not seek out the players for arrest. He, too, said it would be unlikely to extradite the players based on the misdemeanor charges.

Ryan Eucker, director of operations for the Shock, said Friday night that the players remain suspended, adding that decisions on their status will be made in conjunction with the AFL. The players are not being given legal representation by the team, Eucker said. According to interviews and court records, the incident occurred on May 23 after the Shock beat the Las Vegas Outlaws 63-56.

After the game, Lindsay Preisinger, Blair Hollis and Emily Nelson met the players at the Gold Spike lounge. At the time, Hollis was dating a Shock player.

Preisinger watched all three purses and talked to a group of players while Hollis and Nelson played a “cornhole” game with two other players. As they talked, the video shows Jackson taking money out of the purses and handing it over to Charles and another player.

Once the women discovered their money missing, they contacted security at the Gold Spike. An employee tried to detain the players but “Jackson pushed him out of the way and left in a cab with some of his teammates,” the report states.

The women all said they were disappointed with how the team has handled the situation.

“I told them that night that if they just gave us our money back, this could all easily be resolved,” Nelson said. “But they chose to run from security that night, get on the plane the next day, and go home.”