Spurrier: Quarterback recruit off suspension

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina quarterback recruit Stephen Garcia was taken off suspension Thursday, just days after being barred from participating in team activities because he was arrested outside a bar near campus.<br> <br> ``After reviewing Stephen&#39;s situation, it has been decided that he will be able to participate in all team activities, including running and weightlifting, beginning immediately,&#39;&#39; Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said in a statement released by the university.<br> <br> Spurrier had suspended Garcia on Monday.<br> <br> Garcia, 19, was arrested early Saturday morning in a restaurant and nightclub district near the university and charged with drunkenness and failure to stop for a police officer.<br> <br> A telephone message left Thursday evening for Garcia&#39;s attorney was not immediately returned.<br> <br> An officer responding to an altercation said Garcia ran away from him and tried to hide in an alley, then turned toward the officer ``in a threatening manner,&#39;&#39; according to an incident report.<br> <br> Unless Garcia requests a jury trial, the arresting officer will act as the prosecutor and a police spokeswoman said the officer would not be available for comment. Garcia&#39;s next court date is scheduled for March 7, said Lauren Leach, spokeswoman for the Columbia Police Department.<br> <br> Garcia had been at a private party at a club when the incident occurred, according to the police report. He was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond Saturday evening.<br> <br> The highly touted recruit out of Jefferson High in Tampa, Fla., enrolled at South Carolina last month.<br> <br> Last year, South Carolina&#39;s starting quarterback Blake Mitchell also was charged in an incident in the same area near the campus. He was accused of punching a bouncer an assault charge that was later dropped and spent a few hours in jail.

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