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'He ought to be punished' Dolphins' Collins pleads innocent to burglary charge
Posted: Friday January 07, 2000 11:21 PM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- An innocent plea was entered Friday for suspended Miami Dolphins running back Cecil Collins on a felony burglary charge filed after he broke into a neighbor's bedroom. Collins, who has been jailed and was brought to court in handcuffs, and attorney Fred Haddad stood mute before Circuit Judge Joyce Julian, who entered the plea on the rookie player's behalf. During a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, Haddad filed a motion to dismiss the case on what he termed "fundamental grounds." A trial will be scheduled for March but may not take place if Louisiana officials take custody of him for violating terms of his probation, said Assistant State Attorney Dan Losey. "It's possible it could not happen, but that's only if the defendant would plead guilty or something, but I don't foresee that," he said. Collins was sent back to the Broward County Jail after the hearing. The criminal charge carries a possible 15-year prison sentence. In 1998, Collins was twice charged with unauthorized entry into women's apartments at his complex in Baton Rouge. In once incident, a 17-year-old said Collins exposed himself and rubbed against her. A transcript of Collins' questioning by police was released this week. Collins admitted breaking into the apartment of Tina and Ronald Nolte as they slept and being chased out by Nolte Dec. 16. "We've all heard the confession now and this is just more defense tactics to try and slant the case towards Mr. Collins and I'm confident that's not going to happen," said Jim Lewis, the Noltes' attorney. "I don't know how any jury or any finder of fact could come up with any other conclusion that he broke into that house to do no good, and he ought to be punished for what he did," Lewis said. Collins said he had been drinking before the break-in, but Lewis said that it isn't an excuse. "That would be a likely defense for someone who has alcohol prior to the commission of a crime," Lewis said. "If he has a drinking problem he ought to deal with it, but what he needs to do is stop breaking into people's houses." In 1998, Collins was charged with unauthorized entry into two women's apartments at his complex in Baton Rouge. In one case, a 17-year-old said Collins exposed himself and rubbed against her. Lewis said the idea that Collins broke into the Noltes' home to look around was absurd. Mrs. Nolte has said Collins pestered her so much after they met at the complex's gym that she stopped going. "You look at what he did back in Louisiana," Lewis said. "Nobody breaks into somebody's house to take a peek." Terms of his probation allow Louisiana authorities to detain him if he is arrested in any jurisdiction. Collins was the sensation of the Dolphins' training camp, but he was hampered by injuries and failed to upgrade Miami's feeble rushing attack. In eight games, Collins rushed for 414 yards and two touchdowns before breaking his left leg in November.
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