Ex-Bears CB Skrine on run from police
Police in Canada are hunting for former Bears cornerback Buster Skrine after his ankle monitor went offline while he was free on bail.
Skrine, 34, was arrested at Pearson International Airport in Toronto in August and charged with fraud. Skrine is accused of opening bank accounts throughout Canada with bad checks and withdrawing cash before the checks failed to clear.
According to a release distributed by the Durham Regional Police, Skrine was transferred to the Saskatchewan Correctional Centre on Aug. 9 to face additional fraud charges. Three days later, he was granted bail on the condition he return to Durham to attend court and that he wear a GPS monitoring device.
He didn’t attend his court date Monday and his monitor went offline.
Skrine is wanted for failing to appear and comply with a release order.
In August, he was charged with four instances of fraud over $5,000; seven instances of making false statements to procure money; three instances of procuring property obtained by crime over $5,000; and possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000.
Skrine played for the Bears from 201920, serving as the team’s nickel cornerback. He played 68% of the team’s snaps in 2019 and 67% in 2020 while also helping on special teams. He finished his Bears career with eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles and 114 tackles.
He was a fifth-round pick of the Browns in 2011 and played for five teams in a career that lasted until 2021.
Bears sign nine
The Bears signed nine undrafted free agents before the start of Friday’s rookie minicamp practices.
They are: Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed; Howard running back Ian Wheeler; Troy defensive back Reddy Steward; UCLA linebacker Carl Jones; James Madison defensive end Jamree Kromah; British Columbia tackle Theo Benedet; Illinois defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr.; Louisiana-Lafayette wide receiver Peter LeBlanc; and Kentucky tight end Brenden Bates.
In order to have enough players to run two camp practices, the Bears also will bring in 24 rookies for tryouts. Among them are Eastern Illinois defensive back Russell Dandy, Wisconsin defensive back Travian Blaylock and Arizona State defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory, who is a Bolingbrook native.
Veterans who will be trying out include defensive back Parry Nickerson, tight end Tommy Sweeney and receiver Freddie Swain.
Schedule coming next week
The NFL will announce its full 2024 schedule Wednesday. The Bears could find out details about their international game earlier in the week. They will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sometime in October and be the home team.
It will mark a return to the same stadium where the Bears, then the road team, lost to the Raiders in 2019. The Bears are also expected to appear in multiple primetime games, the result of playing in one of the NFL’s biggest markets and having No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on their roster.