Douglas, 19, pleaded guilty to stealing three DVDs from an Iowa City Wal-Mart earlier this month. According to the criminal complaint filed in Johnson County Court, a Wal-Mart employee witnessed Douglas removing the DVDs from their cases and putting them under his shirt before leaving the store without paying on Oct. 11.
The DVDs were valued at $30.02.
At the time of his news conference Tuesday, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz was unaware Douglas had pleaded guilty to the charge.
“Right now, he remains suspended,” Ferentz said of Douglas, who also remains on athletic scholarship and is attending classes. “It doesn’t change things. You can’t double suspend anybody. I’m just going to let the legal system run its course.”
Douglas was released on $500 bond posted Tuesday by teammate Anthony Bowman.
Bowman, 19, and Douglas, who as a freshman last season led the Hawkeyes in receptions, were arrested Aug. 18 for allegedly using two stolen credit cards to purchase more than $1,500 of merchandise on May 8. They were immediately suspended from the team.
Both pleaded not guilty earlier this month. Douglas’ trial is set for Dec. 10, while Bowman’s begins Jan. 28.
Ferentz is withholding judgment in all cases.
“Just like the other situation, we’ll see what the outcome is,” Ferentz said of Douglas’ latest arrest. “Right now, it’s an alleged incident. We’ve got time on our side, I guess. We’ll wait and see how things turn out. It’s certainly not a positive development.”
With Douglas’ arrest Tuesday, 11 Iowa football players now have accounted for 15 arrests since Ryan Bain was booked for disorderly conduct hours after the team’s spring scrimmage April 14. Among the charges are three drunken-driving incidents (Bradley Fletcher, Lance Tillison and Ben Evans) and a domestic assault (Dana Brown).
Fletcher, Tillison and Evans served at least one-game suspensions this season, while Brown, who also was arrested twice on fifth-degree theft charges over the summer, was dismissed from the team two weeks ago after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend at their Iowa City apartment.
Fifth-degree theft is a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and as much as a $500 fine.
The unauthorized use of a credit card charge against Douglas and Bowman is a Class D felony, which could carry up to a five-year prison sentence and $7,500 in fines.
Both Douglas and Bowman are sophomore wide receivers from Detroit.
| POLICE BLOTTER | ||
| With Dominique Douglas' latest arrest Tuesday, 11 Iowa football players now have accounted for 15 arrests in Johnson County since April 14. Here is a list of the players with the charges and date of arrest: | ||
| Player | Charge | Date of arrest |
| Ryan Bain | Disorderly conduct | April 14 |
| Ricky Stanzi | Possession of alcohol | May 5 |
| Dana Brown | Fifth-degree theft | May 15 |
| Tyler Gerstandt | Possession of alcohol | May 18 |
| Arvell Nelson | Driving with a suspended license | July 2 |
| Bradley Fletcher | OWI | July 15 |
| Dana Brown | Fifth-degree theft | July 24 |
| Ben Evans | OWI | July 29 |
| Arvell Nelson | Failure to appear in court | Aug. 16 |
| Anthony Bowman | Unauthorized use of a credit card | Aug. 18 |
| Dominique Douglas | Unauthorized use of a credit card | Aug. 18 |
| Clint Huntrods | Public intoxication / urination | Sept. 6 |
| Lance Tillison | OWI | Sept. 16 |
| Dana Brown | Domestic assault | Oct. 16 |
| Dominique Douglas | Fifth-degree theft | Tuesday |
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
Comments
Fan wrote on Oct 31, 2007 4:12 PM:
" They need him to bad to kick him off the team!! haha. "
Iowagrad wrote on Oct 31, 2007 10:16 AM:
" Coach Ferentz said you "can't double suspend anybody". Hey, wonder if he ever heard of kicking him off the team!! "
