DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708270771

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NEW KENT COUNTY                   LENGTH:   95 lines

IVERSON GETS PROBATION, COMMUNITY SERVICE

Allen Iverson, the NBA rookie sensation from Hampton, pleaded no contest Tuesday to carrying a concealed weapon as part of a plea agreement that includes three years' probation with a lengthy list of rules.

In return, prosecutors withdrew a marijuana charge. Iverson was not sentenced to any jail time or ordered to pay a fine.

The hearing in General District Court lasted just 15 minutes. Iverson did not testify, answering only ``No, sir'' to one of Judge William Shaw III's questions.

Commonwealth's Attorney C. Linwood Gregory, who prosecuted the case, said Iverson is not getting off easy.

``As I see it, he's setting himself up for a big fall . . . if he violates the terms of the probation,'' Gregory said. ``He is a great deal at risk if he violates.''

Iverson, 22, was charged with two misdemeanors - marijuana possession and carrying a concealed weapon - after an Aug. 3 incident on Interstate 64, near Richmond.

If he violates the agreement within the next year, he will be subject to prosecution for the marijuana charge. He could also face further punishment is he violates the probation.

It started when a state trooper near Talleysville clocked a car going 93 mph at 1:27 a.m. The speed limit there is 65 mph.

The car, a 1996 Mercedes, belonged to Iverson, but he was not the driver. Iverson was in the front passenger seat. The driver was a friend, Maduro Earl Hill, 23, of Hampton. The back-seat passenger was identified as Damon Stewart, 24, of Hampton.

Trooper Michael Pierce cited Hill for reckless driving, then asked the three men to step out of the car when he smelled marijuana. Pierce found a 2 1/2-inch marijuana cigarette in the front passenger seat where Iverson was sitting. Pierce also found some ``crumpled marijuana'' in the back seat.

Pierce also found an unloaded Glock .45-caliber pistol on the floor board behind Iverson's feet. Iverson told the trooper it was his. A magazine with six rounds in it was found beside the weapon.

Hill was released on a summons for the reckless driving charge. Iverson and Stewart were arrested. Stewart and Hill are scheduled to be tried in October.

Iverson has said he carries a gun for self-protection. While visiting his Hampton home in September, a shot was fired into his parked Mercedes at Hampton University. Iverson was not in the car, but two of friends were. Neither was hurt. Police later found a gun registered to Iverson in the front seat.

In court Tuesday, hardly any of Iverson's family or friends were present, and just a handful of fans attended. But nearly 30 reporters and photographers from Hampton Roads, Richmond and Philadelphia, where Iverson plays for the 76ers, gathered at the courthouse.

Iverson, dressed in a black suit and multi-colored print tie, left the courthouse quickly with his lawyers without commenting.

76ers president Pat Croce also had no comment.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Iverson must:

Turn over his Glock .45-caliber handgun.

Not own or possess a firearm of any kind for two years.

Stay on good behavior for three years.

Remain drug-free. He will submit to random testing for marijuana and other drugs monthly for two years.

Perform 100 hours of community service within two years.

Pay all court, community service and drug testing costs.

If Iverson abides by the agreement, the gun charge will be dismissed. He must return to court Sept. 5, 2000, for that hearing. ``He could come out of this with no record,'' Gregory said.

Had he been convicted, Iverson could have faced a 30-day jail term and a $500 fine for the marijuana charge and a year in jail and a $2,500 fine on the gun charge.

This was Iverson's second brush with the law in four years.

In 1993, Iverson was convicted of ``maiming by mob'' after taking part in a racially tinged bowling alley brawl in Hampton. He served four months in prison before the governor granted him clemency. Later, an appeals court overturned the conviction.

Iverson was the nation's No. 1-draft pick of 1996. He signed out of Georgetown University with the 76ers, then lived up to expectations last season to become rookie of the year. He averaged 23.5 points per game - sixth in the league overall, tops among rookies.

But Iverson's season was marred by a fight with teammate Jerry Stackhouse, his admission that he carries a gun, and criticism from some league veterans who felt he did not respect them enough.

One young fan in court Tuesday - Mario Davis, 16, of Richmond - said he drove to New Kent with his dad to see Iverson in person for the first time. He was equipped with a video camera when Iverson pulled up in front of the courthouse.

Davis said he will remain a fan despite this latest incident.

``He's really young . . . If I was going to the NBA at this age I'd be wild, too, starting off,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NBA rookie of the year Allen Iverson awaits the start of his

preliminary hearing Tuesday in a New Kent County courthouse, where

he pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed weapon. KEYWORDS: ALLEN IVERSON HEARING DRUG CHARGES PROBATION

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