From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Mike Bernadino and John C. Rodriguez.
Marlins minor league pitcher Jeff Allison faces three felony charges — one count for heroin possession and two for possession of stolen vehicles — stemming from separate incidents last week in North Carolina, a spokesperson with the Guilford County Clerk of Courts said.
Allison, as first reported Tuesday on the Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record’s Web site, also has been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting a public officer, both misdemeanors, in connection with an Oct. 25 incident. Police said Allison was spotted driving a 2002 Dodge Ram truck that had been reported stolen when he was pulled over.
Allison, 21, tried to flee but was apprehended by officers, police said. Allison, who listed a Greensboro address on the arrest report, faces a Nov. 30 court date on those charges.
Allison also faces a Dec. 4 court date in neighboring High Point, N.C., on a separate charge of felony possession of a stolen vehicle. That alleged incident took place a day earlier, police said, and involved a 2001 Chevrolet Astro van reported stolen from the parking lot of a lighting company.
Under North Carolina law, Allison could serve more than four years in jail if convicted on all charges. However, his lack of a prior felony conviction makes him eligible to enter a court-ordered drug-treatment program; if he completes it the charges could be dismissed.
The pitcher suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in July 2004 and reportedly was found unconscious by Medford, Mass., police in August. Allison, a former high school star in the Boston area, has failed at least one drug test for marijuana and has sought treatment for OxyContin dependency.