CSU football player allegedly stole jewelry from teammate
Colorado State football player facing felony charges for alleged theft of jewelry from teammate
Kelly Lyell
CSU football player Braylin Scott allegedly stole two Rolex watches and jewelry from teammate Hunter Donnelly's football locker and dorm room, according to an arrest affidavit filed May 2.
Scott, 19, was arrested Wednesday by campus police on felony burglary and theft charges following what a university spokeswoman said was a monthlong investigation that also involved the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.
Scott's initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, before Larimer County Court Judge Stephen Enderlin Howard.
Scott was suspended in April from all team activities, pending further investigation, Colorado State University football coach Mike Bobo said. Donnelly was also suspended by Bobo following his arrest April 19 by campus police for violating a restraining order with a domestic violence enhancement.
Donnelly has since been dismissed from the program.
In Scott's arrest affidavit, CSU police officer Torrey Cleveland reported Donnelly filed a theft report April 14 after discovering a Rolex watch he valued at $20,000 and four diamond bracelets had been stolen from a desk drawer in his room at Aspen Hall. Donnelly had reported the theft of another Rolex watch from his football locker at Moby Arena three days earlier.
Donnelly later notified police that he had seen his watches advertised for sale on Craigslist, Cleveland reported. The CSU police officer responded to the ad using a personal Craigslist account and arranged a meeting with the seller, who was identified as Scott, the following day in the parking lot of Moby Arena.
Cleveland said Scott sent a text letting the officer know which vehicle he would be in. When the police officer went to the vehicle, she recognized not only the green boxes Donnelly said the Rolex watches were in but also three bracelets matching those Donnelly said were stolen sitting in the cup holder of the vehicle's center console.
Another CSU football player, running back Jonathan Lewis, was in the vehicle with Scott, according to the affidavit.
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Cleveland said she interviewed and released Scott at the time. CSU police declined to release a full report on the incident, saying that decision will be up to the district attorney's office, a school spokeswoman said late Friday night.
Additional investigation included reviewing the use of Donnelly's key card to Aspen Hall that showed it was used five times within an hour April 13. Surveillance cameras, Cleveland reported, showed Scott was using Donnelly's key card to access the residence hall wing where Donnelly's room is located. Scott, the officer noted, lives off-campus and should not have access to Aspen Hall.
Donnelly has had plenty of his own legal troubles, said attorney Erik Fischer, who previously represented Donnelly but said he no longer represents him.
"My client (Scott) completely denies that he stole anything or burglarized anything," Fischer said Friday. "Obviously, the charges are highly suspicious because of the alleged victim's criminal history. My client has been fully cooperative with both police and CSU. He's made statements regarding his participation in the case, and we look forward to exerting our constitutional rights in court."
Scott faces three felony charges — burglary 2 of a dwelling, a Class 3 felony; theft of property valued at $5,000-$20,000, a Class 5 felony; and burglary 3, also a Class 5 felony.
Scott, a junior-to-be from Bakersfield, California, started seven games at safety for CSU last fall and led the team in interceptions with three. Donnelly, a freshman linebacker from Arlington, Texas, sat out last season while redshirting in his first year with the Rams.
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Court records indicate Donnelly, 19, was on probation in Texas for felony assault when he came to CSU last June to play football for the Rams.
He was charged with two misdemeanors — disorderly conduct and harassment in the form of a strike, shove or kick — by CSU police Oct. 9, 2016. Those charges were dismissed a month later by Larimer County Court Judge Matthew Richard Zahe.
Donnelly was charged March 2 by CSU police with theft of property valued at $300-$750, a Class 2 misdemeanor, in a case that remains open.
Donnelly was arrested April 19 by CSU police for violating a protection order, with a domestic violence enhancement. Police reported he was within 25 yards of a student who had a protection order against him while he was studying in a room adjacent to where she was taking tests.
That case also remains open, with disposition hearings for both open cases set for June 6 before Larimer County District Court Judge Kraig Ecton.
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