The two Ball State University freshmen football players who were arrested on suspicion of theft could remain in jail until Monday, jail officials said, and may face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Brandon Houston and Eulas Taylor III have been held at the Delaware County Jail since Friday, when they were arrested on suspicion of stealing laptop computers from the LaFollette Complex.
Prosecutors filed for a three-business day extension on Wednesday, but the suspects cannot be held beyond Monday without a hearing. They will not be eligible for bail until Monday at 9 a.m., jail officials said.
Both men are being held on two counts of burglary and three counts of receiving stolen property, which are Class B felonies, according to police reports. If found guilty, they could each receive six to 20 years in jail.
Houston and Taylor could also face disciplinary actions from Ball State and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. David Fried, director of Students Rights and Community Standards, said the students could get expelled. Both will have to attend a University Review Board hearing to determine what actions will be taken, a process which typically takes two to three weeks, he said.
The Athletic Department is waiting for the police and the university to finish their investigations before it acts, Joe Hernandez, associate athletic director of external affairs, said.
The arrests were made at 9:30 a.m. Friday after three burglary reports had been filed for missing laptops in Woody and Shales halls, according to police reports. Woody Hall resident Kacie Whitmore said she left her door unlocked when she left to take a shower at about 2 a.m. When she returned both Whitmore and her roommate, Kimberly Gibson's, computers were gone.
Soon after Whitmore filed a report with police, about 2:30 a.m., a fire alarm in the hall went off, forcing residents to evacuate, she said. After returning to his room, resident Cody Buckman noticed his computer was also missing, according to police reports.
Several police officers responded to the fire alarm according to police reports. While the alarm was being dealt with, Buckman flagged down an officer to report his stolen property, arresting officer, Detective John Foster of the University Police Department, said.
"Night staff security said they saw a black male walk out [during the fire alarm] with nothing in his hands, but later they saw him carrying a bag," Foster said. "A K-9 officer located laptops in some bushes and later caught [Houston] trying to flag down a car."
The police could not determine if the driver Houston was trying to flag down was an accomplice because the driver never stopped, Foster said. Taylor was caught in his room several hours after Houston, Frost said.
The victims recovered their computers, which suffered minimal damage, according to Frost and Whitmore. Both men have been connected to the crime and have made some admissions, Frost said, but he said he could not elaborate on what the students admitted to.
The university has not determined any actions against Houston and Taylor yet because accused students are not considered guilty until proven so, Fried said. If the review board determines Houston and Taylor are responsible, it will take action according to the student code, Fried said.
Although both students will face legal charges outside the university, the review board will strictly base its decision on student code violations, Fried said.
"A lot of things come into play when determining sanctions, like prior history," he said.
Before attending the hearing, Houston and Taylor will both be given the opportunity to meet with someone at the Students' Rights Office to discuss the situation, Fried said.
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