3 Clemson Football Players Arrested |
CLEMSON — An ongoing criminal investigation into credit card theft and
burglary on the Clemson University campus culminated Tuesday with the arrest of three of the school’s football players. Tyrone Dewayne Dickerson, 19, of Rock Hill, Marcus Kennan Lewis, 20, of Lithonia, Ga., and Paul White, Jr., 20, of Columbia were arrested early Tuesday evening and taken to the Clemson City Jail. All three players were charged with five counts of first degree burglary, one count of interference with a fire alarm and one count of simple larceny. The burglary charges are felonies, each carrying a possible jail term of zero to life in prison. The other two counts are each misdemeanors. The three players, all sophomore defensive linemen, were led out of the university police station in handcuffs at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday. None made any comment before being placed into squad cars and driven to the city jail. A release from the university said head coach Tommy Bowden had suspended all three players indefinitely. Bowden was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening. “Once they were confronted with the accusations and charges, they all readily admitted that they did in fact do this,” said Clemson University Police Chief Lonnie Saxon. “I talked to them about (the charges) and the bearing it has on their families. They were pretty quiet. “I don’t know exactly how they feel...but sometimes young people think they’re into fun and games. But this is very serious, Clemson takes it very serious, and we’ll see what happens.” According to arrest warrants, the trio staged a series of five robberies over three different nights at Byrnes and Lever Halls between July 30 and Nov. 30, 2000. Saxon said the three would set off a fire alarm in a dormitory, forcing the building to be evacuated. With a lookout standing guard, the players would then sneak into the empty rooms and proceed to steal credit cards and/or financial transaction cards. In one instance, $64 in jewelry also was stolen. The three players then took the stolen credit cards to various area merchants, where they purchased high-ticket items such as televisions, DVD players, CD players, telephones and video games, along with other items such as clothes and shoes. Saxon said the charges levied against Dickerson, Lewis and White do not include any purchases made with the stolen credit cards. The solicitor’s office is still examining that aspect of the case, and additional charges could be forthcoming. Information about the thefts originally came to light when complaints began to filter in concerning the missing cards. Over the course of the investigation, police were able to identify Lewis and White on video tape at Wal-Mart in both Seneca and Anderson, using the stolen cards to make purchases. Later, when White was indicted on federal counterfeiting charges on Nov. 28, 2000, he provided information to authorities that aided in the investigation of the credit card thefts. White entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy in the counterfeiting case, and is awaiting a sentence that could be as long as five years imprisonment. Dean Brown of the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the United State Secret Service each aided in the investigation of both cases. “I’ve been in this business for 30 years and nothing surprises me anymore,” Saxon said. “We talk to the football team, we talk to all the athletes. The athletic department is doing a wonderful job. The coaches in all sports try hard to try not to have anything happen like this. But they happen. The coach can’t live with them, can’t stay with them all the time. “It’s like when your children leave your yard. You don’t know what they’re doing. I raised two of them and thank God I didn’t have many problems, but you never know when they leave. And that’s what I told the parents of these people here.” Dickerson, Lewis and White face arraignment this morning before Circuit Judge Henry Floyd in Easley on the burglary charges, and before Municipal Judge Deborah Culler at the Clemson University Police Department on the two misdemeanors. Dan Scott is the host of SportsTalk (10AM-Noon) on 104.9 FM in Upstate SC and Managing Editor of Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Daily Messenger
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