Ex-quarterback Carter a no-show in court

EDINBURG — Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter has landed in trouble with Hidalgo County authorities again.

A new warrant for his arrest was issued Tuesday after he failed to appear at two separate court hearings on charges of marijuana possession and driving while intoxicated.

But his attorney Chris Weaver said the 31-year-old may not have known his presence was required in court.

“He’s not intentionally missing them. He just doesn’t know,” Weaver said. “We haven’t been able to talk to him in two weeks.”

Carter was arrested Feb. 27, three days after arenafootball2 officials nixed a planned deal that had brought the quarterback to play for the Rio Grande Valley Dorados.

State troopers pulled him over along Farm-to-Market Road 494 in Mission when he allegedly failed to use his turn signal. According to court documents, Carter performed poorly on several field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 percent — nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Investigators also found marijuana among his belongings after he was taken into custody, troopers said.

Since then, Carter had relocated to Abilene and signed on with that city’s Indoor Football League team, the Ruff Riders, but lost his position there earlier this month when didn’t show up to play in a crucial game.

Weaver said Tuesday that he had not been able to contact his client since his release from the team but that he hoped to have him back in the Valley to face a judge by next week.

“He would have been here if he knew,” the attorney said.

Carter — whose legal name is Lavonya Quintelle Carter — was cut by the Cowboys in 2004 amid numerous media reports that he failed a drug test. He started three games for the New York Jets the following season before entering the NFL’s substance abuse program.

He bounced from one minor league team to another in his post-NFL career, leaving a string of run-ins with local law enforcement in his wake.

Police in Irving arrested Carter in December 2006 on marijuana possession charges. Less than a year later, he was busted with pot again while playing for the Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings, another af2 team.

He arrived in the Valley in December to sign with the Dorados, but the deal fell through two months later over eligibility issues. Less than a week later, he found himself in handcuffs again.

His latest stint with the Ruff Riders has also been plagued by problems. Taylor County sheriff’s deputies arrested him in May on a probation violation out of Dallas County. Coach Gerald Dockery fired Carter on July 4.

Carter’s attorney said Tuesday that he hopes to have the current Hidalgo County arrest warrant withdrawn once the circumstances are explained to a judge. His client’s outstanding DWI and marijuana possession charges are each punishable by up to three months in jail and a possible fine of up to $2,000 upon conviction.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.