Lewis Eugene Starks Jr., 56, of Apple Valley, was arrested Monday, nearly nine months after prosecutors said he tried to sell the long-lost prize.

The trophy, a Simpson jersey and a plaque were stolen from a display case in a burglary at the university in 1994 while Simpson was awaiting trial in the killings of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman. He was acquitted of murder the following year.

The Heisman, awarded to the most outstanding college football player, was a duplicate given to the university in 1968.

Simpson’s own trophy was seized under a $33.5 million judgment after a civil court jury found him liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman.

Simpson is in a Nevada prison for an armed heist in a Las Vegas casino hotel room.

Starks’ bail was set at $20,000 at his arraignment.

Police announced the recovery of the trophy and plaque in January but didn’t initially make an arrest. They said at the time that the jersey was still missing.

Starks, who has a burglary conviction on his record, could face up to six years in state prison if he is convicted of the felony.

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Tebow tweeted Thursday that he canceled a scheduled April 28 appearance at First Baptist Church due to “new information that has been brought to my attention.”

“I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day,” Tebow wrote.

The Rev. Robert Jeffress, First Baptist’s pastor, confirmed in a phone interview that Tebow called him Wednesday night to cancel.

Jeffress said Tebow told him he would like to speak at First Baptist at some point, but “he needed to avoid controversy right now for personal and professional reasons.”

Jeffress has preached that gay sex is sinful, Mormonism is a cult and Islam promotes violence and pedophilia. He said Thursday that First Baptist was being mischaracterized as a “hate church,” and that the church’s teachings were consistent with historic Christian beliefs.

Tebow wasn’t going to speak about anything controversial, Jeffress said.

“We had planned for him to speak very positively about the difference Jesus Christ had made in his life,” Jeffress said.

Tebow won two BCS championships and the Heisman Trophy at Florida, but he has struggled to make it in the NFL. He barely played last season after the Jets traded for him from the Denver Broncos, where he started much of the season in 2011 and won a playoff game.

Tebow is a devout Christian who has built a large following through his faith. He has addressed church audiences before. Last year, he spoke to about 15,000 people gathered at an outdoor Easter service north of Austin.

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“No. Never,”.

“I wasn’t faking it,” he said. “I wasn’t part of this.”

The Notre Dame linebacker also said that he did not make up anything to help his Heisman Trophy candidacy.

“When (people) hear the facts, they’ll know,” he said. “They’ll know that there is no way that I could be part of this.”

Te’o spoke at the IMG Training Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he is preparing for the NFL draft. There were no cameras at the 2½-hour interview, which was recorded.

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Alabama at Notre Dame
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, January 7, 2013
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN. LINE: Alabama -10
Oddsmakers currently have the Crimson Tide listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Fighting Irish, while the game’s total is sitting at 43.
Prediction: Alabama 16, Notre Dame 13

The Crimson Tide will be happy to match muscle vs. muscle with Notre Dame’s defense behind a powerhouse offensive line that averages 315 pounds per man. Alabama has a pair of 1,000-yard backs in junior Eddie Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon, who combined for 27 touchdowns and piled up 334 yards in the SEC title game win over Georgia. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 26 touchdowns against only three interceptions and showed he was much more than a caretaker of the offense by leading late drives to beat LSU and Georgia. His top weapon is Amari Cooper, who has 53 receptions and nine touchdowns. Notre Dame’s defense has been getting all the publicity, but the Crimson Tide have their own elite linebacker in C.J. Mosley and held 10 opponents to less than 14 points while recording four shutouts.

Alabama was a 32-28 winner in their most recent outing on the road against Georgia. They failed to cover the 9-point spread as favorites, while the total score (60) made winners of OVER bettors.

Team records:
Alabama: 12-1 SU, 6-7 ATS
Notre Dame: 12-0 SU, 7-5 ATS

Alabama most recently:
When playing in January are 5-2
When playing on grass are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 10-0
When favored on the road are 9-1

Te’o, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, is the heart and soul of a defense that permitted only nine touchdowns overall and two on the ground. He has seven interceptions and played behind a stellar defensive front featuring ends Stephon Tuitt (12 sacks) and Kapron Lewis-Moore sandwiching the massive Louis Nix III. Notre Dame’s running back corps of Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III combined for 2,000 yards and will test a defense that allowed a national-low 246 yards. Still, Notre Dame’s offense revolves around dual-threat quarterback Everett Golson. He threw for 11 touchdowns against five interceptions and had four of of his five-highest passing totals in November. Golson also rushed for 305 yards and five scores and his ability to keep the chains moving against Alabama’s defense will be vital.

Last time out for Notre Dame, they were a 22-13 winner as they battled Southern Cal on the road. Notre Dame covered in the match as a 4.5-point favorite, while 35 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Notre Dame most recently:
When playing in January are 0-6
When playing on grass are 10-0
After outgaining opponent are 10-0
When an underdog at home are 1-9

A few trends to consider:
Alabama is 16-1 SU in its last 17 games
Alabama is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Notre Dame is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Notre Dame’s last 11 games

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