Jesus Wilson, a 19-year-old Florida State football player, has been charged in relation to his alleged theft of a motor scooter. A man who had parked the scooter on the Florida State campus on Atomic Way reported the vehicle missing when he returned to his parking spot on June 11. On June 17, authorities detained Wilson as he was using the scooter to travel. Damage to the vehicle was evident at the time of the traffic stop. Reports indicate Wilson stated he borrowed the allegedly stolen vehicle from someone at his school.
On July 7, Wilson reportedly admitted to the theft of the scooter in an email to authorities. He also allegedly admitted to crashing the vehicle in the same email, in which he also said that he’d planned to return the scooter sooner. He has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle for allegedly absconding with the $1,000 vehicle and has been released on bail.
Any individual charged with the theft of a motor vehicle may wish to hire a criminal defense attorney to represent their case. Theft of a motor vehicle without any aggravating factors is a third degree felony in the state of Florida. A conviction for such a felony is punishable by up to five years imprisonment. A felony conviction may also have significant personal consequences; in the case of student athletes, a conviction could result in dismissal from a team or expulsion from a school.
A criminal defense attorney in a case similar to this one would likely seek to arrange for a plea bargain that would allow a student athlete defendant to avoid jail time. Such a bargain might allow the athlete to continue to attend school and participate in athletics.
Source: The 2013 Florida Statutes, “812.014 Theft.”
Source: The 2013 Florida Statutes, “Definitions, General Penalties, Registration of Criminals.”
Source: USA Today, “Florida State receiver Jesus Wilson charged with grand theft“, Sean Rossman, July 10, 2014
