O.J. Met By Media Flurry In Florida

O.J. Simpson is back in Florida, and much like Las Vegas, he's at the center of a media stampede.

Simpson arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport early Thursday morning from Las Vegas, after his release on a $125,000 bond in the alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors. He left the airport in an SUV tailed by a herd of reporters and photographers.

The arrival in Florida ended a day filled with surreal fanfare that included T-shirt hawkers, notables from his murder trial more than a decade ago and more than a little media coverage.

Simpson, was released from a Las Vegas jail Wednesday afternoon, after a judge earlier in the day granted bail and set strict conditions for his release while he fights criminal charges in connection with the armed robbery of sports memorabilia from collectors at a Las Vegas hotel.

He flew home on a US Airways plane emptied so he could board first with his girlfriend Christine Prody and his lawyer, Yale Galanter.

Simpson, 60, sat in an aisle seat in economy class and nodded and smiled to fellow passengers as they filed past him. Many took pictures with cell phones and cameras.

Simpson didn't talk to reporters but Prody did. She said he's doing "fine."

Simpson's trip home came after he spent three nights in jail after being charged with kidnapping, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, coercion with use of a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Judge Sets Bail For Co-Defendant

A Las Vegas judge has set bail at $32,000 for one of the co-defendants in the Simpson armed robbery case.

A lawyer for Michael McClinton said Thursday that his client will not be able to make bail. The judge has set a preliminary hearing date of Oct. 4.

McClinton is accused of bursting into a casino hotel room, with Simpson and other men, and robbing two sports memorabilia collectors at gunpoint.

Another man involved in the case, Charles Cashmore, also appeared before a judge Thursday. He was scheduled to return for another hearing on Friday.

Both McClinton and Cashmore remain in custody.

O.J. Makes Bail

Simpson, wearing a light blue sport coat and dark blue pants, walked deliberately and carried a black bag as he got into a gray Dodge sedan with Galanter and drove away from the Clark County Detention Center about two hours after the judge in the case set bail Wednesday.

He said nothing to reporters and at least one bystander who cheered.

At the hearing, Simpson stood before the judge, hands cuffed, wearing a navy blue jail jumpsuit as the 11 charges -- 10 of them felonies -- were read. The 11 criminal counts stem from an alleged hotel-room robbery last weekend. Simpson said that he was just trying to recover stolen memorabilia.

Simpson answered quietly in a hoarse voice and nodded as Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure Jr. detailed charges of kidnapping and robbery, among others, and laid out restrictions for his release.

"Mr. Simpson do you understand the charges against you?" the judge asked.

"Yes, sir," Simpson said.

Simpson faces the following charges and possible penalties:

• Two counts of first-degree kidnapping, a felony, carrying the possibility of life in state prison or a definite term of 15 years, depending on the sentencing judge's discretion. Parole eligibility begins after five years.
• Two counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, a felony, which is punishable by a mandatory two-15 years in prison, plus a possible additional 1-15 years for use of a weapon.
• Burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, a felony, which is punishable by one-15 years in prison.
• Coercion with use of a deadly weapon, a felony, which is punishable by two-12 years in prison.
• Two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a felony, is which is punishable by one-six years.
• Conspiracy to commit kidnapping, a felony, which is punishable by one-six years.
• Conspiracy to commit robbery, a felony, which is punishable by one-six years.
• Conspiracy to commit a crime, a gross misdemeanor, which is punishable by one year in county jail.

Simpson did not enter a plea. A status hearing was set for sometime during the week of Oct. 22.

Unlike the arraignment in the killings of his ex-wife and a friend in 1994, when he declared he was "absolutely 100 percent not guilty," Simpson was subdued throughout the proceeding.

Conditions of the bail agreement include surrendering his passport, and no direct or indirect contact with any co-defendants, witnesses or alleged victims in the case.

"If you see them walking down the street, you're to cross the street," the judge said. "You do not use any means to contact these individuals. Don't use e-mail, telephone, mail, passenger pigeon, no, whatsoever, contact."

Galanter said outside of the courtroom that his client had already surrendered his passport. The attorney also said that bail was reasonable.

"He is not a flight risk and is not a danger to the community," Galanter said, speaking about Simpson.

Galanter said that he expected Simpson to be "processed and released fairly quickly."

"He's relieved," Galanter said. "This has been a very harrowing experience for him."

People who entered the courtroom were screened by security officers and police, accompanied by bomb-sniffing dogs.

Among the reporters in court were Marcia Clark, who unsuccessfully prosecuted Simpson in 1994. She's now a correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight."

Simpson was charged along with three other men who police said they believe barged into a hotel room at the Palace Station casino and stole sports memorabilia from two collectors.

Even as Simpson went free on bail, one of his accusers was arrested for a parole violation.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Alfred Beardsley was arrested by a fugitive task force at the Luxor hotel and casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Beardsley is one of the two sports memorabilia collectors who have accused Simpson and other men of barging into a hotel room and stealing items from them.

Authorities said Beardsley was wanted on a California warrant for a parole violation. He is now behind bars, pending extradition to California.

According to the complaint against Simpson, the four men went to Room 1203 under the pretext of brokering a deal with Beardsley and Bruce Fromong, two longtime collectors of Simpson memorabilia. Once in the room, Simpson prevented one of the collectors from calling 911 on his cell phone "by ripping it out of Bruce Fromong's hand" while one or more accomplices pointed or displayed a handgun, the document said.

The complaint does not specify which of the men involved was carrying the weapon.

The kidnapping charges accuse the men of detaining each of the men "against his will, and without his consent, for the purpose of committing a robbery."

Fromong, a crucial witness in the case, was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday, after suffering a heart attack.

Two others named in the complaint, Walter Alexander and Clarence Stewart, have been arrested and released pending court hearings.

Authorities said Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, "a key player" in the alleged theft, turned himself in Tuesday night.