One USU student arrested, another sentenced
Utah State University students Donta Candler and Jerome Dennis, both members of the football team at some point, are dealing with the criminal justice system.
* Candler:
Logan Police arrested Candler, 19, Tuesday for seven counts of forgery, five counts of theft, one count of possession of marijuana and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Candler has not yet been formally charged for these crimes.
Capt. Greg Ridler said Candler’s roommates complained to a patrolman their checks had been stolen. They suspected Candler. The stolen checks were used to buy a couple of thousand dollars worth of things at stores like Wal-Mart, Ridler said. Police are using a video surveillance camera from one store as evidence.
While the patrolman interviewed Candler, he smelled marijuana. His findings allowed for the drug counts.
Candler was listed on the fall football roster as the backup for Kevin Curtis, who graduated this season. He was kicked off the team because of academic ineligibility and is no longer the backup. Candler recorded a career high 3.392 tackles per game this past season.
* Dennis:
Judge Thomas Willmore of the First District Court sentenced Dennis, 21, Tuesday for stealing merchandise from the USU Bookstore, a class-A misdemeanor.
The court gave Dennis 365 days in the Cache County Jail. Willmore suspended 330 days, requiring Dennis to serve the remaining 35 but with school release and probation. Dennis must pay full restitution, which amounts to $1,538.48, to the bookstore. He will be charged a $925 fine if he does not complete payment.
Dennis averaged 27.7 yards per kickoff return for the second best in USU history. He had three straight games with kickoff returns of at least 60 yards. Fans may remember him because he returned an interception 75 yards on the last play of the second quarter against BYU to give the Aggies a 34-7 lead. It was his first real standout play at USU.
Mike Strauss, director of Athletic Media Relations, said the department is “aware of what is going on,” but football Head Coach Mick Dennehy will not comment on the situation until he talks to Dennis. A meeting between the two will likely happen sometime this week.
Julie Ann Grosshans contributed to this story.
–amarie@cc.usu.edu