Ole Miss police picked up five Mississippi State students early Wednesday morning for attempting to steal a football helmet from the Ole Miss locker room. “They were trying to take it (the football helmet) as a souvenir,” Bobby Black, captain of investigation of the Ole Miss Police Department, said.
Black said he did not know whose helmet the students attempted to take.
“It wasn’t Eli’s,” Black said, referring to the Rebel quarterback.
Black said the Starnes Center, the building that houses the university’s athletic training facilities, was open for cleaning purposes, and the students did not break in.
“The building was open,’ Black said. “They just walked in.”
The students were picked up in the fraternity area of campus after police received a complaint. “They were caught up here taking some items-car tags, speed limit signs and banners from light poles,” Black said.
Black said the students were not arrested and were released.
“They left in the car that they came in,” Black said.
Ole Miss investigators informed MSU officials of the situation, and further investigation and disciplinary action will be handled by Mississippi State.
Roy Ruby, vice president of student affairs, was at the University of Mississippi Wednesday for a meeting of the board of trustees of the Institutions of Higer Learning.
“All I know is that one of the vice presidents of the university (MSU) was up here, and he was told about it,” Black said. “At the time it was determined that the administration could handle it better than we could.”
Mike White, MSU dean of students, said that they are investigating the situation. He met with the students last week and plans to have more meetings with them.
“The facts will speak for themselves,” White said. “I have not received all the information I have requested.”
White said he is waiting for “statements, police reports-that sort of thing,” to come in before he makes a decision.
“If the facts warrant a judicial hearing, we will have one,” White said.
“This was an unfortunate and embarrassing incident that has been handled appropriately by all concerned. Five young students made a poor decision that, no doubt, embarrassed them and their university. We hope and trust that they learned a valuable lesson and will grow from the experience,” Robert Khayat, Ole Miss chancellor, said in a prepared statement.