HOUSTON – Channel 2 Investigates has learned a former Houston Rockets NBA star could be extradited to Florida to face a burglary charge.
Steve Francis, 39, who was arrested over the weekend on unrelated DWI and retaliation charges, is currently being held in the Harris County Jail on a fugitive warrant.
The Manatee County Court issued the warrant for Francis' arrest after claiming Francis burglarized a vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant June 15.
Police said a woman parked her vehicle in the parking lot and entered Cortez Clam Factory, where Francis was a patron at the bar.
Francis asked the bartender for help finding the keys to his car, and the bartender gave him a flashlight, according to court documents.
Francis then left the bar and got into the woman's vehicle, according to reports. Once inside the car, Francis took numerous items, including a makeup pouch, a wallet and its contents, a gold wedding ring, a gold diamond band, earrings, press credentials and $100 in cash, according to court documents. The total amount of stolen property was estimated at $7,252, according to reports.
Francis then bagged up the items and left the bar in a vehicle with another man who is yet to be identified, police said.
Two days later, Francis went to the Bradenton Police Department carrying a clear plastic bag with numerous items, police said. He threw the bag on the ground and said, "I just robbed somebody, take me to jail. I'm turning myself in," according to court documents.
An officer was not able to locate any reported crimes at the time, so he allowed Francis to leave, according to reports.
The officer went through the bag of items and found out they belonged to the burglary victim, according to reports.
The court in Florida is asking Harris County for extradition.
The Harris County district clerk said Francis has posted his bail and will in court Tuesday.
Francis was stopped doing 88 miles per hour on Beltway 8 late Saturday night.
Deputies said Francis was uncooperative, intoxicated, had about 22 grams of marijuana and had an open bottle of liquor.
"Mr. Francis was doing what we would call being passive aggressive. When we were asking him to move to a patrol car, he would just stand in one spot," one deputy said.
Francis played for the Rockets from 1999 to 2004, then again from 2008 to 2009.
Francis was a three-time All-Star while with the Rockets and ranks sixth on the team’s all-time assist list. He was also honored as part of the Rockets' team of the 2000s decade.