Florida authorities said they arrested a D.C. basketball coach and five of his teenage athletes after the youths were accused of stealing from a mini-mart while visiting Polk County for a tournament.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the five boys, all 16 and 17 years old, were accused of swiping less than $40 worth of junk food from a 7-Eleven in Davenport around 4 a.m. Thursday.
Police said a store employee confronted the group about the theft, but the juveniles ran away. Deputies later found three of the boys near the entrance to the Solterra Resort and said the trio stuffed their stolen goods inside a backpack and hid it in the bushes.
The sheriff’s office said they got in touch with coach Malik Abdul Harvey, 27, and asked him to review security footage to identify the other two teen suspects.
Mr. Harvey claimed he didn’t recognize the boys, police said, but deputies were able to find and arrest the last two suspects without his assistance.
“We had three in custody, he denied knowing who the other two were. He resisted us when he did not cooperate with the investigation, when he directly lied, when he misled us,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video statement about the incident.
“Of course, he knew who they were, but he lied to us,” the sheriff said. “Did I tell you he works for the Department of Juvenile Services in Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Maryland? That’s right. So he works in the criminal justice system, and he lied to us.”
Authorities said the boys both identified Mr. Harvey as their coach, and Mr. Harvey eventually acknowledged he knew the other two suspects and was trying to protect them.
The coach was charged with child neglect, resisting without violence, accessory after the fact and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The teens were each charged with conspiracy to commit retail theft, tampering with evidence, petit theft and violation of the county curfew ordinance for juveniles.
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