Progress made on UCLA assistant’s case

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department expects to forward its case against UCLA football assistant Eric Scott and two others to the district attorney’s office this week, Det. Ulysses Cruz said Monday.

Scott, who is on paid leave, was arrested with two others on July 24 on suspicion of burglary in the break-in of a Norwalk home. The case moved forward in recent days, Cruz said, after investigators finally were able to locate residents of the house.

Milton Grimes, Scott’s attorney, did not return telephone calls Monday, but UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said, “I talked with Eric this morning and he said that there has been progress.”

Another UCLA official added, “Every indication we get from Eric and his attorney is this will all be resolved.”

Even if the case against Scott is dropped, the receivers coach -- a UCLA graduate and former Bruins player -- is not guaranteed to return to the team. An athletic department official said that the circumstances surrounding the incident would have to be examined.

Scott, who spent last season as an intern in the football office, has been an effective recruiter locally. But his arrest brought to light his past criminal history. Scott has admitted guilt to separate misdemeanor concealed weapons charges in 1996 and 2005, and a misdemeanor disturbing-the-peace charge in 2002.

Dorrell has indicated he knew something about Scott’s troubled past, but Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said he was unaware of the arrests because a background check when Scott was hired in April came back clean.

The background check was done by the UCLA police department, which sent fingerprints to the California Department of Justice. While there is a variety of search levels depending on what job is involved, Department of Justice spokesman Gareth Lacy said “it is very unlikely” Scott’s previous record would have been missed.

Typically, the UCLA police department forwards the background check to human resources, which then sends the information to the athletic department. Guerrero has said that process will be reviewed.

Meanwhile, UCLA opened football camp Monday with Dorrell and graduate assistant Brian Callahan subbing in for Scott, working with the receivers.

“We hope this won’t go on through the whole camp,” Dorrell said. “All we can do is what the circumstances tell us. What we need to do is practice and prepare for the season.”

Said receiver Brandon Breazell, “We can’t let it become an issue. All we can do is control what we do as players and not worry about the rest.”

chris.foster@latimes.com