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Houston indicted in Calif.

By MICHAEL J. THOMPSON
mthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Georgia Tech cornerback and Starr’s Mill High graduate Reuben Houston was indicted yesterday on drug conspiracy charges in Fresno, Calif.

“Houston has been indicted and will appear with 16 others in court on Aug. 8,” Karen Escobar, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said by telephone Thursday afternoon.

The grand jury in the case returned a true bill, which means they endorsed an indictment because it was supported by sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.

The former Panther gridiron standout is alleged to have conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute nearly 100 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $60,000, according to court documents.

The criminal complaint was filed June 15. If convicted, Houston could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Houston, a fifth-year senior with Georgia Tech, has been suspended from the football team and from the university. He had been a two-year starter at cornerback and was projected by numerous NFL scouts as being picked in the second to fourth rounds of the 2006 NFL draft.

Last week, Houston appeared in an Atlanta courthouse and was released on a $30,000 bond. He appeared Monday in a Fresno court, although he was not in California when the indictment was handed down.

The criminal complaint alleges that Houston met with another man Feb. 12 and the two rode in the same vehicle for an undisclosed amount of time before Houston left the car with the drugs.