Former Utah State football player jailed 12 days for theft

By AP
Published

LOGAN, Utah (AP) A former Utah State University football player will spend 12 days in jail before transferring schools after he pleaded guilty to stealing a PlayStation.

The case that also brought charges against another two other students accused of attempting to hit witness with their car.

Troy Murray was sentenced Monday after agreeing to a plea deal, the Herald Journal of Logan, Utah, reported. He and teammate Jaylan Brown were charged this spring after police said they pawned the PlayStation, games and accessories in the Salt Lake area.

The two redshirt freshmen, both 19, were also suspended from the team.

Murray pleaded guilty in May to reduced theft and trespassing charges. He will transfer to Snow College in central Utah, the newspaper reported. Brown has not yet entered pleas to burglary, theft and witness tampering charges. He's due back in court July 18.

Lawyers for the two didn't immediately return messages from the Associated Press seeking comment.

The case also led to charges against a third teammate and another student accused of trying to intimidate a witness.

Police said Kevin Meitzenheimer and Dayshawn Littleton tried to hit the witness with their car and threatened to return and shoot the person. Police say they arrested the pair after finding an assault rifle in the car's trunk.

Meitzenheimer, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman linebacker from Moreno Valley, California, was suspended from the team indefinitely. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor witness tampering and obstructing justice in a June deal with prosecutors.

Meitzenheimer agreed to pay a fine, write an apology letter, testify against the other defendants if necessary and give up the gun, court records show.

His lawyer Cara Tangaro says it was a fair resolution to a case that ''was not what it appeared to be.'' Meitzenheimer is happy to move on with his life, she said.

Littleton, from Carson, California, is charged with witness tampering and obstructing of justice. He hasn't yet entered a plea and is due back in court in August. His lawyer didn't immediately return a call for comment.

Littleton, 20, had signed a letter of intent to play football at Utah State, but he never officially joined the team, according to athletics officials.

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Information from: The Herald Journal, http://www.hjnews.com