Pacers pick Stephenson 'hit girlfriend's head on step'

Indiana Pacers draft pick Lance Stephenson, after pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs, grabbed her and hit her head on the bottom step, prosecutors said yesterday.

A judge released Stephenson, 19, without bail late Sunday night after his arrest on assault, menacing and harassment charges. Prosecutors had asked for $7,500 bail.

In a lengthy statement issued yesterday, Pacers president Larry Bird called Stephenson's arrest "very disappointing to the Pacers franchise and to me personally." A defense attorney said Stephenson didn't harm his girlfriend.

Authorities say the confrontation occurred around 5 a.m. Sunday when the woman, Jasmine Williams, was returning home to her apartment building with two friends. Witnesses said Stephenson was waiting for her and yelled, "Are you kidding me?" before pushing her down the stairs.

A criminal complaint provided by the Brooklyn district attorney's office said that as Williams lay at the bottom of the stairs, Stephenson picked up her head and slammed it on the bottom step.

When police arrived, Stephenson told them the woman had fallen down the stairs, prosecutors said. The complaint said Williams suffered head and back wounds and possible damage to her neck.

Stephenson's New York-based attorney, Alberto Ebanks, said his client "did not maliciously, intentionally or in any other way cause harm to Jasmine Williams."

Ebanks, calling the charges against his client "very serious," added: "Everyone, especially Lance, regrets that this incident occurred. We look forward to addressing these charges in the appropriate venues."

Stephenson was one of the nation's top high school prospects. He played one season at Cincinnati before applying for early entry to the NBA draft.

* Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat released a statement last night expressing confidence that he'll be vindicated, 1 day after he was charged with possession of marijuana following a traffic stop.

"I am confident that once the judicial process runs its course, I will be cleared," Haslem said.

A passenger in Haslem's 2008 Mercedes sedan told the Florida Highway Patrol that marijuana found in the car Sunday afternoon after the Heat forward was pulled over for speeding on a South Florida highway was his - and Haslem's attorney insisted that's enough reason for the third-degree felony charge to be dropped.

Eric Schwartzreich, Haslem's attorney, said the State Attorney's Office is reviewing the arrest paperwork, a process that should be completed in the coming days. Haslem is accused of possessing more than 20 grams of marijuana, a third-degree felony, along with four misdemeanor counts of having drug paraphernalia.

"He's a little rattled," Schwartzreich said. "He's upset. He doesn't know how he can be charged with this."

A hearing in Haslem's case has been scheduled for Sept. 14 in Miami-Dade County court.