Former OSU quarterback Art Schlichter leaves court Monday without hearing on cocaine charge
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Former Ohio State University quarterback Art Schlichter walked out of Franklin County Municipal Court without having to stand before a judge.
Schlichter, 63, had been scheduled to appear in Franklin County Municipal Court Monday on a fifth-degree felony charge of cocaine possession. A clerk told Schlichter before the hearings began that he was free to go, and he walked out of the hallway outside the courtroom.
Schlichter was charged after a Feb. 2 incident in which the Ohio Highway Patrol allegedly found cocaine and crack pipes on Schlichter.
Body camera footage from the Ohio Highway Patrol shows Schlichter, whose car broke down on the side of East Hudson Street, telling a trooper his name and asking if the trooper had heard of him.
Schlichter played for Ohio State between 1978 and 1981 before playing four seasons in the NFL. Since that time, he has become more well-known for his legal troubles.
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In 2011, Schlichter pleaded guilty to a ticket scheme that resulted in the victims losing millions of dollars. The scheme involved Schlichter promising college and NFL game tickets to buyers, but those tickets were never delivered.
He received a sentence of more than 10 years in prison. When he was released in 2021, former Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said Schlichter had been gambling with other inmates behind bars and having women on the outside place bets for him as well.
Schlichter remains on supervision by the Adult Parole Authority for his 2011 conviction, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
In September 2023, Schlichter pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of possession of cocaine. He was given a sentence of one year on probation. If he violated the terms of that probation, he could get up to 11 months in prison, according to court records.
As of Monday morning, prosecutors had not filed any documentation seeking to violate Schlichter's probation or set a hearing to determine if the new arrest is a violation.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former OSU quarterback Art Schlichter has Monday court hearing canceled
