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University Police arrested two males this morning following a report of two cellphone thefts, and a warrant will be going out tomorrow for the arrest of a third.
One of the men, Travis Morgan, who is not a GSU student, was arrested on charges unrelated to the thefts.
According to UP Capt. Terry Briley, police received a call around 8:15 a.m. Four female students had been studying in the library all night before two phones were stolen. Officer Jeff Gooding was sent to the library to take the initial report. He then called Briley, who sent investigator Clay Gracen, who collected more information.
The officers were able to use surveillance footage from the library security cameras to get "fairly good descriptions of the two people involved," Briley said.
Police decided to text the stolen phone. They got a response from one of the thieves, and sent texts back and forth with him in an attempt to convince him to give the phone back.
In undercover attire, Briley, Gracen, Sgt. Chris McBride and Officer Craig Wildi set up a perimeter to wait for the person to bring the phone back.
"One person caught our eye initially," Briley said. "The guy comes into the library, sits down a the computer with no books or anything, pretends like he was doing something and then got up and left. So we followed him."
The suspect -- Morgan -- was about to get in his car when an officer approached him; the suspect then decided to flee in his car. A short car chase ensued before he was stopped and arrested; however, he was charged with fleeing and eluding.
"We thought he was involved with the theft of the phones," Briley said, "but he had some other traffic violations."
About five minutes after that arrest, police received another text from the person who stole the phone -- Kernard Blount-- saying he was getting ready to hand off the phone.
"He walked up, just as suspicious as could be, and he hands [the girl] the phone real fast and then just starts to take off to run, when one of our officers grabbed him and there was a bit of a scuffle," Briley said. "[The officer] loses him, and the chase is on. We're all chasing this guy, and he gets from in front of Deal all the way to the Hanner parking lot where Clay Gracen and an unknown Georgia Southern football player stopped him."
UP Chief Michael Russell said, "This is exactly what I've been preaching about needing to be better neighbors. The football player was instrumental in stopping this guy's flight. He got involved when he could've walked away -- it's the perfect example."
Blount, not a GSU student, was arrested. The other suspect, his brother Kern Blount, has not yet been found, and the second phone has not yet been recovered. The charges are theft by taking and obstruction.
