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Maas arraignment postponed

Posted October 24, 2007 11:00 pm

Kevin Sampier

A former All-Pro NFL lineman requested a different judge to hear the case of gun and drug charges against him in Tazewell County Circuit Court.

Bill Maas, 45, appeared Thursday in court, where his request to substitute Judge Stephen Kouri was granted.

Maas faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of unlawful use of a weapon stemming from a traffic stop July 6 in East Peoria.

Maas was scheduled for an arraignment Thursday, but that will be handled by the next judge who is assigned the case.

Sarah J. Murphy, 27, who was with Maas during the traffic stop, also faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Both Maas and Murphy are from Lee's Summit, Mo.

Murphy also requested Kouri be substituted in her case and her motion also was granted.

Attorneys for Maas and Murphy could not be reached for comment after the hearing to determine why they wanted another judge.

Authorities found a bag of cocaine, a bag of Ecstasy tablets and a loaded .22-caliber revolver after Maas' Hummer was stopped during a roadside safety check, court records said.

No new date was set and Kouri said he will now check with other judges for scheduling purposes.

Maas was questioned in September by authorities for an incident involving a weapon at the Kansas City International airport. Maas was detained at the airport after federal screeners found a 9mm handgun in his carry-on bag.

Authorities confiscated the weapon and Maas was questioned by the Transportation Security Administration. He was then turned over to KCI police, who questioned and released him without charge.

Maas played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1992, and was a Fox NFL analyst from 1996 to 2006. The 1984 Rookie of the Year was also a two-time All-Pro selection while with the Chiefs.

Kevin Sampier can be reached at (309) 346-5300 or ksampier@pjstar.com.

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