Attempt to extort TE leads to man’s arrest
Former Texans tight end Mike McFarland was the target of an extortion scheme halted by a successful sting operation orchestrated by Texans security and Houston police officers, leading to Chaz Colt Davis’ arrest on theft charges Monday, according to court records and sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Houston police accused Davis, a 27-year-old Galveston man with an extensive criminal record, of attempting to “unlawfully appropriate” money from a man identified in Harris County court records as Emmett Baylor, the Texans’ director of security.
Davis attempted to obtain money from the Texans, offering to sell photos of McFarland allegedly smoking a substance alleged to be marijuana to multiple news outlets, including Channel 13. Court records and sources speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed Davis met with Baylor at a Pappadeaux restaurant near NRG Stadium.
Davis was given a requested $3,000 by Baylor, who was formerly with the Federal Air Marshal Service and was a second deputy chief with the Detroit police department and a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms special agent. Davis signed some paperwork related to the situation and handed over a phone that allegedly contained photos of McFarland. Houston police subsequently arrested Davis and his girlfriend when they left the restaurant.
Davis’ previous charges include family violence, organized criminal activity, car burglary, unlawful carrying of a weapon, narcotics possession, car theft and evading arrest. Davis, convicted in January of possession of a controlled substance, a state jail felony, remained in police custody Wednesday evening and is being held in jail with bond set at $15,000.
McFarland, who suffered a high ankle sprain during training camp, was officially removed from the Texans’ injured reserve list Tuesday with a oneweek injury settlement. A source said the roster move stemmed from McFarland, who is nearly recovered from his injury and was originally slated to be on injured reserve for the entire season, being involved in a potentially embarrassing legal situation even though he wasn’t charged with a crime or under the scrutiny of law enforcement.
“It’s unfortunate that people are trying to take advantage of NFL players, especially younger ones like Mike,” a source not authorized to speak publicly told the Chronicle. “They arrested the guy and did the sting, but Mike was already going through the injury and was in a great position to contribute to the team in the future. Nothing happened with him and the police. It looks like he might have used poor judgment, but there’s no proof he did anything wrong.
“Mike doesn’t even know the guy who called the Texans and did the extortion. It’s possible some girl took a photo of Mike and passed this on to the guy who was arrested.”