Sophomore Thomas Finnie, a defensive back for UM’s football team, was arrested Tuesday morning in connection to the theft of a Macbook Pro on campus on Dec. 4.
According to a press release by the Coral Gables Police Department (CGPD), Finnie has been charged with occupied burglary and grand theft. He was booked at 2:25 p.m. on $17,500 bond, according to Miami-Dade County Department of Corrections.
Finnie is still listed on the team roster on hurricanesports.com, but according to a statement released by the school, he has been suspended from the team. Finnie played in all 12 games during the 2012 season, starting six and accounted for 30 total tackles on the season and an interception.
According to the CGPD, Finnie stole the laptop from an unidentified student’s dorm room in Pearson Residential Hall. Upon discovering the theft, the student was “able to place an electronic message on the screen of his laptop” saying that he was willing to pay $1,000 for its return.
The police report issued by the CGPD stated that the student received a phone call the following evening from Del’Neco Streeter, 21, who was willing to return the laptop for the money. The student met with Streeter later that night at 8:52 p.m. in front of the BankUnited Center. Streeter arrived in a vehicle and was accompanied by an unknown individual, said the CGPD press release.
Once Streeter handed the laptop to the student and asked for the money, UMPD officers emerged from the BankUnited Center (BUC) and attempted to arrest Streeter. Streeter fled and was later found by officers in a stairwell on the sixth floor of Pavia Garage. He was arrested at 3:39 a.m. According to the CGPD press release, the driver of the vehicle also fled and the car was later found in another area of campus.
The police report stated that Streeter said a friend stole the student’s laptop. Streeter has been charged with dealing in stolen property and resisting arrest.
On Tuesday, Finnie surrendered to the UM Police Department and was subsequently arrested. He was also given a campus-wide trespassing warning.
According to the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts, Finnie had previously been charged with a misdemeanor account of posession of marijuana on July 20.
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Suspect arrested in connection to campus theft