[font=Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif]Panthers fire cheerleaders accused of sex [/font]
Thomas, Keathley were arrested, charged after incident in restroom
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Associated Press[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Updated: 9:05 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2005[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]TAMPA, Fla. - North Carolina’s pro football team got rid of two cheerleaders who were arrested at a bar where witnesses told police the women were having sex with each other in a restroom stall.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Renee Thomas, 20, of Pittsboro, N.C., and Angela Keathley, 26, of Belmont, N.C., were fired Monday for violating a signed code that bans conduct embarrassing to the team or organization, Carolina Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The women were not in town to perform at Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thomas was charged with battery for allegedly striking a bar patron when she was leaving the restroom. She was released from the Hillsborough County Jail on $500 bail before police learned she had given them a driver’s license belonging to another Panthers cheerleader not in Tampa.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Detectives were trying to determine how Thomas got the driver’s license of a third cheerleader.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thomas was charged Monday with giving a false name and causing harm to another — a third-degree felony punishable by probation or a jail term of one to five years, said police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Keathley was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and was released on $750 bail. The women could not be reached for comment Monday.[/font]