According to police report, Jameis Winston appeared to avoid deputies at Publix
A Leon County Sheriff's Department report based off surveillance video from a Tallahassee, Fla. Publix says that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston appeared to avoid in-store deputies on Tuesday when he was issued a citation for shoplifting.
Winston told deputies he forgot to pay for $32.72 worth of crab legs and crawfish that night when deputies came to his residence after he had left the store. However, the report says Winston paused on the video when he saw a deputy in the frame.
As he was leaving the store, Winston appeared to pause in front of a Leon County deputy who was working in-store security detail at the time. The pause, the incident report said, appeared to be an attempt to avoid walking in front of the deputy. He said Winston then walked behind the deputy, past all registers and out of the store.
A Publix employee told deputies he noticed Winston walk out of the store and assumed he hadn’t paid for his purchase since he didn’t have a grocery bag. He and his manager watched Winston walk out of the store because they thought he was grabbing a shopping cart. They soon realized Winston walked out without paying when he didn’t return.
According to the report, Winston ordered three pounds of crab legs with Old Bay seasoning and a pound of crawfish with cajun seasoning.
A two-sport athlete, Winston was subsequently suspended from the Florida State baseball team after the citation. He was reinstated Sunday after completing his 20 hours of community service. He was also required to pay back the value of what he took from the store.
The $32.72 figure also includes a pound of butter, which according to the report, Winston said he did not have with him. He told deputies that he left the butter in a bin after removing it from the shelf, but it was not found in the store.
Winston, who won the 2013 Heisman Trophy while leading Florida State to a 14-0 season and the BCS Championship, received the citation as part of the Civil Citation Program. The program is billed as a an alternative for first-time misdemeanor arrest.
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is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg
