Gophers won't take further action against Royce White right now

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per this update from Marcus:

University of Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi said today he would not take any further action at this point against freshman basketball player Royce White, who is considered a possible suspect in a campus burglary Saturday.

Maturi said university police told him Tuesday afternoon that White was seen in Territorial Hall when a laptop was stolen Saturday. White has not been charged or accused of a crime.

Last week, Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith already had suspended White and senior Devron Bostick indefinitely for violating unspecified team rules. White received misdemeanor citations Oct. 13 for shoplifting and fifth-degree assault after an incident at Macy's in the Mall of America in Bloomington, according to a police report.

"We have to be careful to rush to judgment, in my opinion," Maturi said about Saturday's development. "Based on other issues, Royce is suspended. This does not impact that, one way or the other, at this time because we don't know what the facts are in this case.

"If he were to be found guilty, it's different than him being charged. I think everybody needs to understand that. If he were to be found guilty, then I'm sure he would be dealt with in the appropriate manner."

White, a 6-foot-8 former Minnesota Mr. Basketball at Hopkins High School last season, is accused of stealing $100 in jeans and shirts and pushing a Macy's security employee to the ground twice, according to the Bloomington police report.

Mall of America security barred White from the facility for a year. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 17.

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_13763666?nclick_check=1

Go Gophers!!
 

I don't even know how to react to this...in most ways it's ridiculous that's he's a suspect just because he was there. However, I can see the reaction with him robbing Macy's. I'm torn on what to think. (If he indeed steal a laptop he should be kicked off the team.)
 

I just can't see it. Maybe I'm naive, but to think he just got caught shoplifting, and he was with 3-4 other dudes, and to do it again? I'm going to go ahead and say he can't be that dumb. Although I wouldn't put it past him hanging out with someone that did actually steal it, making him an accomplice, which is just as bad.
 

unlike White, this seems

Unlike White, this seems pretty "thin" to me. A theft in a dorm he was seen in and he is a suspect ? How many hundreds of folks are in that dorm at any given time?


Do we need to confine White to Tubby's basement or something?

:( :( :(
 

Royce may or may not be involved in this. Only he and a few of his friends truly know.

But, I am troubled by the Strib, WCCO, FOX 9 et. al reporting this. If White were charged, that would be one thing. But, he is simply being look at because he was "in the area." WCCO Radio this afternoon had a long discussion with Jeff McKinney and Joe Anderson about how this kid is in trouble again and went on to say some pretty damning things about him. Now most casual listeners who don't follow it like most of us do heard that and had to think that White did it and should be kicked off the team.

Sure, he is a confirmed suspect, but is it responsible to report his name until the police think there's a strong enough case to pursue? I mean could they at least wait until then before throwing the guy's name out there? Many newspaper/TV/radio news rooms used to have a generally followed policy not to run the NAME of a suspect until charges were officially filed. They use to say something like "authorities have a suspect in custody and are investigating further" without printing the name. They used to be very careful about this stuff. It used to be that reporters would sit on this kind of stuff for days and not report a word while they waited to see if charges were filed or if there was more to the story before simply throwing a guy's name out there. Now, in this rush to "break" the story or in some cases "sensationalize" the story, that policy is thrown out. It sells newspapers to talk about the local basketball player.

Again, he may have done it, I don't know. But, I think the media outlets have shown some irresponsible behavior in covering this single story, IMHO.
 


tjgopher said:
Royce may or may not be involved in this. Only he and a few of his friends truly know.

But, I am troubled by the Strib, WCCO, FOX 9 et. al reporting this. If White were charged, that would be one thing. But, he is simply being look at because he was "in the area." WCCO Radio this afternoon had a long discussion with Jeff McKinney and Joe Anderson about how this kid is in trouble again and went on to say some pretty damning things about him. Now most casual listeners who don't follow it like most of us do heard that and had to think that White did it and should be kicked off the team.

Sure, he is a confirmed suspect, but is it responsible to report his name until the police think there's a strong enough case to pursue? I mean could they at least wait until then before throwing the guy's name out there? Many newspaper/TV/radio news rooms used to have a generally followed policy not to run the NAME of a suspect until charges were officially filed. They use to say something like "authorities have a suspect in custody and are investigating further" without printing the name. They used to be very careful about this stuff. It used to be that reporters would sit on this kind of stuff for days and not report a word while they waited to see if charges were filed or if there was more to the story before simply throwing a guy's name out there. Now, in this rush to "break" the story or in some cases "sensationalize" the story, that policy is thrown out. It sells newspapers to talk about the local basketball player.

Again, he may have done it, I don't know. But, I think the media outlets have shown some irresponsible behavior in covering this single story, IMHO.
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ding, ding, ding.

although i will say it hasn't just been on this particular story. the media (both local and national) has a long, long history of similar coverage. they are all trying to stay afloat and if something might sell a few more papers, cause a few more people to tune in, they WILL run with it....ethics be damned.
 

I think it has to be "he was seen in the room or leaving the room where the laptop was stolen" to be of any significance.
 

That is correct, IMO too, Bronko. Get a scoop and run with it. The regular newspapers are turning into the damned tabloids....run something, the hell with ethics and the truth.
 

When is the court appearance for the Macy's theft and assault? Next week? And what exactly will happen at that appearance?

Reading between the lines I think Maturi is waiting until that takes place and if he is found to have commited the act at Macys White will be kicked off the team which is totally reasonable.
 



He received a citation. Doesn't that mean there is no court appearance?
 

From the Barn said:
He received a citation. Doesn't that mean there is no court appearance?
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He can avoid a court appearance only if he pleads guilty. If he pleads not guilty and retains that plea, it will be set for trial. There would likely be a court appearance or two before a trial.

He also has a couple of other options if the prosecution is willing to cooperate. He could make an "Alford plea" -- here's the Wikipedia summary:

... an Alford plea is a plea in criminal court in which the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence, but admits that sufficient evidence exists with which the prosecution could likely convince a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty. Upon receiving an Alford plea from a defendant, the court may immediately pronounce the defendant guilty and impose sentence as if the defendant had otherwise been convicted of the crime.​

Another alternative would be to reach an agreement with the prosecutor to meet specific conditions (e.g. attend anger management program, community service, etc) and have the case continued for a period of time (usually a year). If he completes the agreed upon conditions and then doesn't re-offend (which is usually one of the conditions) the case is dismissed without an adjudication. That possibility probably goes out the window if the investigation for the separate offense of burglary (which is what the laptop theft could be charged at) results in a criminal charge.

And, no I'm not an attorney but my wife is a criminal defense attorney and I've picked up a lot by osmosis and having worked in the Hennepin County Public Defender's office a number of years ago.
 

I think in cases such as this, an appearance is required and then they work on a plea agreement. I may be wrong.
 

Reading between the lines I think Maturi is waiting until that takes place and if he is found to have commited the act at Macys White will be kicked off the team which is totally reasonable.
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I'm not seeing the same lines you're reading in between. I think he's guilty of shoplifting at Macy's. I don't think that's an issue. So to speak. But, I'm seeing there isn't any evidence of the most recent allegation and until there is it's a non issue as far as Maturi is concerned.

In the case there is hard evidence against him in the laptop theft I believe Maturi, without question, will dismiss him from the team.
 



He can avoid a court appearance only if he pleads guilty.
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And if he does plead guilty isn't it just a fine of some sort?

I actually think it would be best for him to do this, admit it, apologize for it, take his sentence/fine and move on and be done with it.
 

Just got off the phone with a friend who lives in Territorial. Apparently Royce and maybe 3 other guys were walking through the halls popping into random rooms...they went into my friend's girlfriends room (I know, getting a little "friends girlfriends uncles postman blah blah"), without knocking, and just go "Where the party at?"...she said "not here" and they shut the door and left.

Makes you wonder how many rooms they tried before they found an unlocked room, with a laptop just waiting to be jacked....

This doesnt sound good.
 

Doesn't anyone find it troubling that he's in the vicinity when s*** happens? Who is he hanging with? Maybe this is something Tubby should address.
 

The media loves to jump on Royce....let's see if Fox "News" does a story on Nick Tow-Arnet. For some reason, I doubt it.
 

SkitchPatterson said:
Just got off the phone with a friend who lives in Territorial. Apparently Royce and maybe 3 other guys were walking through the halls popping into random rooms...they went into my friend's girlfriends room (I know, getting a little "friends girlfriends uncles postman blah blah"), without knocking, and just go "Where the party at?"...she said "not here" and they shut the door and left.

Makes you wonder how many rooms they tried before they found an unlocked room, with a laptop just waiting to be jacked....

This doesnt sound good.
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Great job, Sherlock. You've cracked the case.

I'm sure we'll see charges filed tomorrow based on this unbelievable development.
 

This is a hard case to prove IMO. They have to not only find the laptop in his posession (or prove that he had it directly after the alleged incident), but also likely confirm that he stole it, most likely using eyewitness testimony. And the testimony probably has to be more than "I saw him go into the room," or "I saw him in the hallway outside the room." I would bet that the way they try to solve this is to question the group with White and get the truth that way.

There is also the issue of - What if he was just there while another friend stole it? They would have to look at his actions and find out his intent somehow. This one is harder to speculate on.

I'm not trying to call him guilty or innocent or speculate anything with this - just thinking through what the process might look like.
 

Bottom line is this:

Unless they find the laptop in Royce's possession or there is a video of him taking it, he will never be charged with anything. Do you know how hard it is to convict someone of theft in a situation like this? We had a ton of CDs and some clothes stolen from our apartment in college. We called the cops. The cops came and took our stories. WE HAD SEEN A GUY WALKING AROUND WEARING ONE OF THE FLEECES THAT WAS STOLEN. The cops went to his house and still couldn't charge him because the clothes or CDs didn't have any distinguishing marks on them.

Point is that it's very hard to prove or charge in a case like this. So, unless he shows up with the laptop in class, move on and get ready for him to play in the 76 Classic.
 

WriterGoph said:
Bottom line is this:

Unless they find the laptop in Royce's possession or there is a video of him taking it, he will never be charged with anything. Do you know how hard it is to convict someone of theft in a situation like this? We had a ton of CDs and some clothes stolen from our apartment in college. We called the cops. The cops came and took our stories. WE HAD SEEN A GUY WALKING AROUND WEARING ONE OF THE FLEECES THAT WAS STOLEN. The cops went to his house and still couldn't charge him because the clothes or CDs didn't have any distinguishing marks on them.

Point is that it's very hard to prove or charge in a case like this. So, unless he shows up with the laptop in class, move on and get ready for him to play in the 76 Classic.
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I agree that it is nearly impossible for him to get convicted. All I'm saying is that this appears to be different than "Oh, he just happened to be in Territorial at the time." when really its "Oh, he just happened to be in the group of 4 that took a laptop." (even though he won't get convicted, because he wont have the computer, unless he is literally the biggest Efrum the retarded rabbit in the world.)
 

The media loves to jump on Royce....let's see if Fox "News" does a story on Nick Tow-Arnet. For some reason, I doubt it.
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I would love a story on Fox featuring him. He isn't in any trouble.
 

If he did this (I think there is reason to believe he did) but can't be proven guilty of this crime I have no doubt he will commit another crime soon enough to get him kicked off the team by Jan 1. If he did this I really hope they are able to pin it to him so we can get rid of this embarassment to our program.
 

They don't JUST have to find the laptop with him. Even if they find it in his posession I believe they also have to have some sort of evidence suggesting he stole it, most likely in this case eyewitness testimony, unless he left his DNA in the room and the witness could prove he never was in the room before in his life (yes, I know this sounds like a bit much for a theft case, just sayin'). Otherwise his defense could be "well, some guy offered me $100 for it in the hallway and I bought it from him."
 

It's only fair to have every person in Territorial Hall named as a "suspect" by the Strib. That's how we're defining "suspect" for this, right?

Oh wait, so because the other 299 people in the dorm aren't star athletes who are identifiable by face, they aren't suspects?

Or are we just calling him a suspect because of his recent issue at MOA?

Either way, it's totally salacious.
 

Rotundo said:
If he did this (I think there is reason to believe he did) but can't be proven guilty of this crime I have no doubt he will commit another crime soon enough to get him kicked off the team by Jan 1. If he did this I really hope they are able to pin it to him so we can get rid of this embarassment to our program.
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Dude, what is your beef here? Why do you have such an agenda towards Royce? Because he made a mistake at MOA? Now you're "hoping" they can pin this on him? WTF?

If you have this attitude towards everyone who has ever shoplifted in their life, you must have a pretty small circle of people you like.
 

Has the laptop been found? If so, has it been fingerprinted?
 

He cheated so blatently in High School that he was expelled.
He has been kicked out of two dorms and he has only been a student for 2 months.
He has been caught shoplifting and assaulted the security guard who caught him.
He is mixed up in another theft situation.

One way or another his time here is going to end badly. He is toxic. If we get off with a couple of thefts and one assault I will consider ourselves lucky with this guy. I want him gone asap before he does more damage.
 

Rotundo said:
He cheated so blatently in High School that he was expelled.
He has been kicked out of two dorms and he has only been a student for 2 months.
He has been caught shoplifting and assaulted the security guard who caught him.
He is mixed up in another theft situation.

One way or another his time here is going to end badly. He is toxic. If we get off with a couple of thefts and one assault I will consider ourselves lucky with this guy. I want him gone asap before he does more damage.
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Line 1 - So you never cheated in HS? I find that hard to believe.
Line 2 - Where is the proof that he has been kicked out of two dorms? Do you have a report from the school? What is your reference here?
Line 3 - As far as I know, he has not been convicted or even had an arraignment in the MOA case. Do you have court records that say otherwise?
Line 4 - By "mixed up" do you mean he was the one identifiable person in a dorm of 300 people? Last I heard "mixed up" means nothing in life or the justice system.

Get over your vendetta and get used to him being on the team.
 

He cheated so blatently in High School that he was expelled.
He has been kicked out of two dorms and he has only been a student for 2 months.
He has been caught shoplifting and assaulted the security guard who caught him.
He is mixed up in another theft situation.

One way or another his time here is going to end badly. He is toxic. If we get off with a couple of thefts and one assault I will consider ourselves lucky with this guy. I want him gone asap before he does more damage.
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I'm not going to say one way or another how this will end up or disagree with your opinion, but to be fair:

- points 3 and 4 are only allegedly at this point
- in point 2 I thought it was just one dorm
- was cheating the official reason for point 1? Correct me if I just didn't know about it specifically.
 

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