Four Mississippi State University students were arrested in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on charges of burglary for allegedly breaking into the Mal Moore Athletic Facility on the University of Alabama campus and stealing memorabilia on April 4.
The students include sophomore petroleum engineering major John Thomas Badley, 21, of Laurel; sophomore kinesiology major Joe Hudnall, 20, of Madison; junior finance major Joshua Jordan, 21, of Starkville; and Samuel Tanner Fittes, 21, of Columbus.
According to the Tuscaloosa News, the men were caught on surveillance video breaking into the building on April 4 at 2:17 a.m. In charging documents, an officer with the University of Alabama Police Department wrote the items stolen were “various items of memorabilia from within.”
University of Alabama Communications Director Taylor Bryant confirmed there was a burglary at Mal Moore, and none of the suspects were UA students.
Warrants were issued for their arrests April 6 and three days later each suspect was arrested on a felony third-degree burglary charge. Detectives Julien Gillis and Michael Hunter with the MSU Police Department assisted with the arrest warrants. They were released April 9 on a $7,500 bond.
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter issued a statement saying the university does not tolerate criminal activity.
“Mississippi State University does not condone this type of behavior and we are cooperating with authorities in their investigation,” Salter said. “The future status of the students will be determined after they have received their rights to the due process of law. Clearly, these students will have to face the consequences of their actions, whatever those actions might be.”
Joe Hudnall
