Witness say they were scared after items stolen

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Posted 8:49PM on Tuesday, October 18, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former South Carolina standout Moe Thompson broke into two college dorm rooms with a teammate and stole items after a night of drinking, prosecutor Dolly Justice Garfield said Tuesday as Thompson's trial on burglary charges began. Thompson, 21, and teammate Kevin Mainord, 20, were charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of petit larceny after witnesses said two televisions and other items were taken from common areas in their dormitory rooms this past February. Mainord has yet to stand trial. Thompson ``chose to go into rooms that belong to these girls and to take items that belong to these girls in the middle of the night while each of them was in their bedroom sleeping,'' Garfield said. Thompson's attorney Hemphill Pride argued there was no criminal intent on Thompson's part and the Feb. 23 incident was a prank done in bad judgment. ``You are not surgeons ... You can't cut Moe's head off and look in there and see what his intentions are,'' Pride said of the former ``Mr. Football'' from Goose Creek. ``I want you to know that the stakes are pretty high in this case.'' The statement prompted an objection from prosecutors. Circuit Court Judge Reginald Lloyd told jurors a that penalty tied to a possible verdict was not their concern. If convicted, Thompson faces 15 years to life in prison. Pride said Thompson cooperated with investigators, returned a television and wrote a letter of apology. But a University of South Carolina investigator testified when he questioned Thompson that the former defensive end initially denied on Feb. 28 stealing any items. Thompson later confessed in a written statement, investigator Kyle Mitchum said. Mitchum said Thompson returned a television to police and he was told Mainord also returned a television, a light and tried to return a DVD player that was of equal value to the one taken. Mainord also wrote two apology letters to each of the victims, the investigator said. Mitchum said he couldn't remember if Thompson ever said the incident was a prank, but the word ``prank'' had apparently been scratched out in Thompson's written statement. It was not initialed by Thompson, which is standard procedure, Mitchum said. Prosecutors called several women dorm residents who had items taken from the two rooms. Two residents, who lived a floor above Thompson and across the hall from other football players, testified they confronted Thompson and Mainord after learning that they may have been involved in taking a television from their room. They said Thompson denied taking anything while Mainord sat mostly quiet and seemed nervous. ``Moe said, 'We didn't do this. I'm the captain of the football team. I know all the players and I'll get to the bottom of this,''' Jennifer McArdle testified. Three other residents, who lived in the same quad as the football players but a different floor, testified they always kept their front door locked, and there was no sign of forced entry the night a television and DVD player were taken from the common area. Each of the students' room also has a separate door from the common area, and they said they didn't hear anything unusual the night the items were taken. The students said after the break-in, they were scared, had their locks changed and slept the following night with a kitchen table in front of the door and the lights on. ``Did you think this was a joke?'' prosecutor John Meadors asked resident Christie Belcher. ``Definitely not,'' said Belcher, who graduated in May. ``At first I was shocked, then I was terrified.'' One of Belcher's roommates, Elizabeth Thomas, testified she was uncomfortable after the incident. ``Our door was locked the night before, so changing the locks would not have affected anything,'' said Thomas, who also graduated in May. Pride asked another roommate to read a letter Mainord wrote that repeatedly said he was sorry about the incident and he was with ``the wrong crowd of people.'' Thompson also wrote an apology letter. ``A few ball players came in the quad last week ... and we we're just being stupid and not thinking. It was about six of us or more and we all came in drunk,'' according to the letter read by Mitchum. ``We decided to go into rooms and find what we could find.'' Mitchum said he questioned other football players, however none have been charged. Both Mainord and Thompson were dismissed from the team by coach Steve Spurrier after the incident. Thompson is attending classes at Grambling State and Mainord is in school at Chattanooga. Roughly a dozen South Carolina players were arrested or suspended from the team during this past offseason. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)