A Florida road trip for a basketball tournament went from“hoops dreams”to“crime scene”early Thursday morning. Five teen players from a Washington D.C. area AAU team were caught stealing $37.60 worth of snacks from a 7-Eleven. The robbery happened at 4:10 a.m., which raises its own set of questions about adult supervision on this trip.
Their coach, Malik Abdul Harvey, made things worse by initially lying to Polk County deputies to protect two of the teenagers who fled the scene. Harvey works at a Maryland youth detention center where his job is to assist and empower juveniles. The irony is not lost on Sheriff Grady Judd, who is publicly calling out Harvey for failing to lead by example. Harvey now faces felony child neglect charges, while the teens face felony conspiracy to commit retail theft and tampering with evidence charges.
All of this over snacks that cost less than a decent pair of basketball socks. What do you think: were the charges too harsh, or did everyone involved get exactly what they deserved?
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
