Three University of Alabama football players were arrested for second-degree robbery and one was arrested for fraudulent use of a credit card on Monday. Head Coach Nick Saban announced in a statement sent out just before 1 p.m. Tuesday that the players, H-back Brent Calloway, defensive back Eddie Williams, linebacker Tyler Hayes and defensive lineman Dennis “D.J.” Pettway, are indefinitely suspended from the team.
(See also “Football players’ victim speaks out after arrests”)
According to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Calloway, 20, was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card. Williams, 20, Tyler Hayes, 18, and Pettway, 20 were booked on two counts of second-degree robbery.
“The young men charged are indefinitely suspended as we continue to gather information and talk to the appropriate people,” Saban said in the statement. “The University and football program have strict guidelines regarding issues of this magnitude. This behavior is unacceptable for any student-athlete at The University of Alabama and not representative of our football program.”
Athletic Director Mal Moore also released a statement earlier in the day calling the charges “a very serious matter.”
“We are very disappointed in the actions that have resulted in the charges against these student-athletes,” Moore said in a statement. “In this type of situation, the athletics department works in conjunction with the University.”
Calloway, Williams, Hayes and Pettway have been referred to UA Judicial Affairs.
According to a University spokeswoman, UAPD received reports of two robberies on Feb. 11, the first at 12:35 a.m. on the 800 block of Campus Drive and the second at 1:20 a.m. in the 200 block of 7th Avenue. Two victims, UA students Caleb Paul and Samuel Jurgens, told police they were assaulted and their belongings were taken.
According to the arrest records, Hayes and Williams admitted to investigators to robbing Jurgens near Paty Hall. The arrest records state that Pettway “aided and perpetrated” the robbery as well.
Hayes also admitted to standing by moments later along with Dennis Pettway while Williams assaulted Paul. Arrest records do not indicate whether Pettway admitted to the crimes.
Hayes, Williams and allegedly Pettway, physically assaulted Jurgens at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning, stealing a backpack containing an Apple Macbook Pro. Williams’s arrest warrant states that he knocked Jurgens unconscious in the attack.
An hour later, Williams assaulted Caleb Paul, knocking him unconscious and stealing his wallet while Hayes, and alledgedly Pettway, waited in a nearby car.
Williams and Calloway used a stolen ACT Card three hours later at vending machines in Bryant Hall three hours later.
UAPD then investigated the incidents and identified the subjects, which resulted in the players’ arrests by the Tuscaloosa Police Department on Feb. 11.
Williams, who is charged with fraudulent use of a credit card as well, was also arrested in a separate incident on Sunday and booked into Tuscaloosa County Jail for carrying a pistol without a license, a TPD spokesman said.
Early reports indicated that the University sent out an alert to students about the robberies, but multiple students have confirmed they received no release. UAPD did, however, post an advisory on police.ua.edu after the incident.
According to a University spokeswoman, UAPD did not send out a campus alert to students in the 24 hours between the muggings and the arrests because UA normally sends out alerts in situations where students need to take immediate action, and UA does not usually send out alert in situations like this one.
This marks Calloway’s second arrest since his arrival at Alabama. He was charged with marijuana possession in October of 2011.
Williams was released from jail on $65,000 bond, Hayes and Pettway were released on $60,000 bond, and Calloway was released on $5,000 bond, a TPD spokesman said. Jail records indicate they were arrested around midnight and released between 3 and 5 a.m.
Calloway, Hayes and Pettway appeared in 13 games for the Tide last season. Williams was a redshirt freshman.
Mugshots of the players can be found here.
The criminal records for the players can be viewed at the following links:
Brent Calloway: http://www.jailbase.com/en/
D.J. Pettway: http://www.jailbase.com/en/
Tyler Hayes: http://www.jailbase.com/en/
Eddie Williams: http://www.jailbase.com/en/
Eddie Williams (gun): http://www.jailbase.com/en/
This story is still developing; check back with us periodically for updates.
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