Ex-Dragon Garcia Arrested In S.C. Skip directly to the full story. By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON The Tampa Tribune Published: Feb 18, 2007 Former Jefferson quarterback Stephen Garcia, who enrolled at the University of South Carolina last month, was arrested Saturday at 12:40 a.m. in Columbia, S.C., and charged with "failure to stop on police command" and "drunkenness," according to a Columbia Police Department incident report obtained by The Tampa Tribune. Garcia was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond Saturday evening. The report indicates a witness alerted police that Garcia was involved in an altercation behind the Knock Knock Club on Harden Street in the Five Points area of Columbia where Garcia had attended a private party. As an officer, dressed in full police uniform, approached Garcia, he began to "quickly walk away." The officer asked Garcia to stop and Garcia "ran north behind the building and attempted to conceal himself in the alley," according to the report. Garcia then "turned toward the officer in a threatening manner. The officer immediately engaged his baton. [Garcia] at that time was trying to zip up his pants and fix his belt. [Garcia] had a very strong odor of alcohol about his breath and person, was unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech," according to the report. The report said Garcia admitted to the officer he was aware he ran from the officer requiring him to stop. The officer did not use the baton to complete the arrest. Garcia, who turned 19 Thursday, was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. The minimum drinking age in South Carolina is 21, but Garcia was not charged with underage drinking. Gary Garcia, Stephen's father, declined comment to the Tribune on Saturday about the incident. In addition, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was unavailable for comment. "I don't know all the specifics, but from what I understand it was just kids being kids. Stephen is a person of high character. Hopefully he will learn from it and move on," Jefferson football coach Mike Fenton said. "Being in college puts him in a high-profile situation. I'm sure he will learn from this mistake and he's sorry for it, but he's a high-character guy." Garcia graduated in December from Jefferson as Hillsborough County's all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdown passes. He enrolled at South Carolina in January to be able to participate in spring practice and increase his chances to play this fall for the Gamecocks. Garcia is considered one of the highest-rated recruits Spurrier has landed during his tenure at South Carolina. Garcia finished his career with 8,081 yards passing with 83 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,345 yards on 263 carries with 17 TDs. He ranks third in the state for career passing yards and sixth in TD passes. As a three-year starter at Jefferson, the Dragons were 28-11 and advanced to the Class 3A state championship game Garcia's sophomore season. He was a three-time first-team Tribune All-Hillsborough County selection and recently received the Coca-Cola Golden Helmet award (Class 4A-3A division, honoring Hillsborough's top football player). Reporter Brett McMurphy contributed to this report. Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425 or arichardson@tampatrib.com. http://www.tbo.com/sports/prepsports/MGB04NKUAYE.html