Steve Francis Jailed On Burglary Charge, As Ex-NBA Star Compounds Legal Woes

Steve Francis appears to be in a rough patch in his post-basketball life.

The former Houston Rockets star was jailed on a burglary charge after he turned himself in to police Monday in Florida, according to TMZ. Francis is accused of breaking into a woman’s car in June and stealing items worth more than $7,000. He could serve up to five years in prison if convicted on the felony charge.

The alleged victim described the burglary last month in an interview with KTRK Houston. The unidentified woman left her car door unlocked while she was eating at a restaurant in Bradenton, Fla. Francis asked the bartender for help finding his keys.

“The bartender went and got a flashlight and went outside and held the flashlight while Steve Francis moved my seats back and forth, stripped the inside of my car of everything, and broke into my lock box,” she said. “He got a diamond ring, and he got my father’s wedding band, he got my wallet, my cash, he stole my makeup bag,” she said.

The story then takes another bizarre twist.

“Two days later, Bradenton police say (Francis) walked into the police department with a clear plastic bag with several of her items inside,” KTRK’s Tracy Clemons writes. “He told them, ‘I just robbed somebody, take me to jail. I’m turning myself in.’ We’re told they couldn’t arrest him because they had nothing in their system to hold him.”

The alleged burglary isn’t Francis’ only legal problem. He was arrested last month in Houston on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The burglary charge furthers the 2000 NBA Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star’s fall from grace.

Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images