Dirk Minniefield, a former NBA player whose...

Dirk Minniefield, a former NBA player whose career was cut short because of drug abuse, was jailed in Lexington, Ky., for allegedly writing bad checks.

He was jailed after he failed to appear at a hearing on 30 charges of writing bad checks and one charge of shoplifting. One of the charges--a bad check written for $641.06--is a felony; the others are misdemeanors.

Minniefield faces a possible penalty of one to five years imprisonment on the felony charge. The misdemeanor charges could lead to confinement for up to one year.

Minniefield played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets and the the Boston Celtics before being admitted to a drug rehabilitation center in 1988.