By Jonathan Tamari, The Philadelphia Inquirer –
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles running back Dion Lewis was arrested and charged with a low-grade felony over the weekend after Albany, N.Y., police said he pulled a fire alarm at a Hampton Inn where he was staying.
Lewis and his brother, Lamar, couldn’t get in to the hotel shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday morning and began banging on the door and eventually pulled the alarm, according to police.
Initial news reports said the incident happened Saturday morning, but a police spokesman said it was early Sunday.
The fire department responded, and Lewis, 21, was charged with falsely reporting an incident, a felony, though the lowest grade of felony, said Albany police spokesman Steven Smith. He was also charged with a low-grade misdemeanor, reckless endangerment of property.
Lewis, who spent part of his high school career at Albany Academy High School, was released on his own recognizance because he had no prior incidents in Albany, Smith said.
His brother, Lamar, 35, faces the same charges and was held without bail. He has prior incidents in Albany, Smith said.
In a statement released by the Eagles, Dion Lewis apologized to “my family, the Albany community, the Eagles organization and fans, and to the NFL.”
“It was never my intention to cause any public alarm or damage any property. I am sorry for any embarrassment and inconvenience that my actions have caused,” he said.
The Eagles, in a release, said they had spoken to Lewis and his representatives about the arrest.
“They have a good understanding of the serious nature of this matter and understand the embarrassment it caused to not only himself, but the entire organization,” the team wrote.
Lewis was a fifth-round draft pick in 2011 and is expected to compete for the backup running back job.
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