Washington man sentenced in 2007 Minxx strip club melee

A Washington man on Thursday was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison for a shooting during a strip club melee in February 2007 that ensnared professional football player Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Arvin Kenti Edwards, 32, pleaded guilty in September via an Alford plea to one count of attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon.

The Alford plea means Edwards didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors could prove their case against him. He was indicted in 2008 on seven felony counts.

A sentencing hearing had been continued multiple times because Edwards refused to leave his cell at the Clark County Detention Center. He was present Thursday but declined to comment when Judge Valorie Vega asked him whether he wanted to say anything before he was sentenced.

Vega then sentenced him to the prison term stipulated in the plea agreement and gave him credit for 1,201 days for time served, meaning he will be eligible for parole in about eight months.

Afterwards, Edwards’ attorney, Casey Landis, said the case might be resolved, but it isn’t justice for his client. "He wasn’t good for this crime," Landis said. "He became the easiest person for the state to charge with this crime in a case they were desperate to solve."

Prosecutors declined to comment.

Authorities said the Minxx strip club fracas, which occurred during the NBA All-Star Weekend, was triggered by Jones. The current Cincinnati Bengal showered strippers with hundreds of dollar bills as they danced. The act, known as "making it rain," was intended as a visual effect. The fight erupted when strippers began picking up the cash.

Jones and his entourage were kicked out of the club, and the shootings occurred minutes later.

Three people were wounded, including bouncer Tommy Urbanski, who was paralyzed from the waist down.

Authorities said Edwards later tried to extort money from Jones for "services rendered." But Jones said he never ordered the shooting and refused to pay.

Jones and Robert "Big Rob" Reid pleaded no contest in December 2007 to charges of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct in connection with the Minxx brawl.

Jones was sentenced to one year of probation. Reid is expected to be sentenced later this month.

Jones’ probation could be revoked for violating the terms of the stay-out-of- trouble portion of the sentence after he was arrested in Cincinnati last month.

Jones, 27, was arrested, authorities said, for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and resisting arrest after being asked to leave a bar. Prosecutors said they are monitoring the case. Jones has pleaded not guilty, according to media reports.

A woman who was with Jones the night of the 2007 fight and was accused of fighting with strippers and of striking security guard Aaron Cudworth with a champagne bottle has since died.

Sadia Morrison pleaded no contest to a felony battery charge for her role in the melee and was sentenced to three years of probation. Morrison was found dead in the Bronx in June 2007 after falling off the roof of an apartment building. No foul play was suspected.

After the shooting, Jones was suspended from the National Football League for a year and traded by the Tennessee Titans to the Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Bengals.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.