AUSTIN – Former Texas sophomore safety Robert Joseph had brushes with the law in his hometown of Port Arthur before joining the Longhorns, according to a published report.

Texas football spokesman John Bianco said Wednesday coach Mack Brown was unaware of two misdemeanor charges filed against Joseph before Joseph arrived on the UT campus.

According to the Port Arthur News, Joseph was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in August 2005, six months after he was offered and accepted a scholarship from Brown.

Joseph was also charged with misdemeanor evading arrest in May 2006 in Port Arthur after police were called to an apartment on a tip that two men were holding drugs, according to the newspaper. When an officer approached the men, one of them, Joseph, allegedly ran away and ignored commands to stop, according to the newspaper.

Both charges are still pending.

Joseph, from Port Arthur Memorial, has been accused of multiple crimes this summer.

In the early hours of June 9 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, an off-duty police officer allegedly discovered Joseph sitting in a sports car that wasn't his. When the officer approached him, Joseph allegedly ran and was later found inside another vehicle that wasn't his. He was charged with two counts of felony burglary of a vehicle.

At that point, Joseph was kicked off the Texas team by Brown and announced plans to transfer.

Six weeks later, Joseph was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in an alleged break-in with a gun at an Austin apartment on July 27. Texas freshman defensive tackle Andre Jones has also been charged in that crime.

Joseph remains in the Travis County Jail on bonds totaling $45,000. Jones' attorney, Ariel Payan, said his client is the victim of mistaken identity and was in another part of Austin during the alleged break-in.

Jamie Balagia, Joseph's attorney, has said his client will be exonerated in the Austin cases once the evidence is presented.