Coleman Thomas Arrested - charges dropped 4/15

#276
#276
VFL-82-JP said:
Man, it's like two threads got mashed together, one about Coleman Thomas being charged with theft and another about drugs, mmkay. I came here this morning to see if there was anything new on the former, but found mostly the latter in the most recent 50 posts.

If there were ever a case for a spin-off thread, this is it. Sad to say, at this point I think Thomas' situation would have to be the spin-off.

Mods, help us out, please? Is there anything that can be done?
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As to your last sentence. Relax. Smoke a J. ;)
 
#277
#277
flatiron said:
Campus police are state-commissioned Tennessee LEO's. It's like that for all public state universities, IIRC.
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Saying it's like that for "all" might be a bit overbroad, but the majority of public campus police are deputized with the power to arrest.
 
#278
#278
daj2576 said:
Saying it's like that for "all" might be a bit overbroad, but the majority of public campus police are deputized with the power to arrest.
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True, I meant to type "all Tennessee public universities" (although that might still be a little broad).
 
#279
#279
flatiron said:
True, I meant to type "all Tennessee public universities" (although that might still be a little broad).
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Id say its better to treat them as deputized and be wrong, then treat them as Paul Blart and be wrong.

Police can ruin your day.
 
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#281
#281
HazMat said:
I know poor Jamis Winston has been dealing with this for a few years now.. :)

By the way CT did 'sell stolen stuff' so he actually can't really be 'completely' exonerated. Where he got it from may or may not have relevance depending on how they want to press charges. Prolly get a misdemeanor community service.
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It is not a crime unless he knew
or should have known it was stolen. Unless you know all the facts I would refrain from making such broad incorrect statements.. I doubt he gets convicted of anything.
 
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#285
#285
vol81 said:
It is not a crime unless he knew
or should have known it was stolen. Unless you know all the facts I would refrain from making such broad incorrect statements.. I doubt he gets convicted of anything.
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you have obviously never been on the wrong side of the justice system. as a person who is still recovering from my runin with the law in which i got charged with a heap of ridiculous crap. Not a single thing of which was even close to true. I made the mistake of believing in the justice system because, hey, I was innocent and the charges against me were beyond ridiculous. At the time of my arrest I was 39 and had no criminal record of any sort. Had a good job and educational background. Things I thought would all make a difference. Not only did they not make a difference i sat in jail for 3 months before anyone even asked me my side of the story. Even after both my "victims" told the DA that I was not guilty of what i was arrested for they still tried to press charges and called the "victims" liars. In total I spent 9 months locked up in Fulton county jail before i broke down and took a first offender plea (I have since learned it was a big mistake) but my records is now clear and I got my life back on track. In my time in I saw guys inside overprosecuted so badly it should be criminal. The funny thing is the guys that got off were the hardened criminals who were guilty as all h-ll I saw guy come in 2 times and beat 2 bodies (that he really had dropped) in the time it took me to get in front of a judge. I mean seriously' I was in for aggravated assault in a case were no injuries to any party and no weapon used facing over 50 years and this guy Kills beats not one but 2 murder charges before I ever get to see a judge.

Here is the thing different charges have different levels of proof the state has to meet to get a prosecution. Murder 1 for example, is extremely hard to prove. On the other hand felony murder is extremely easy. Felony murder only means someone died while a felony was in progress. The spirit of the law is to get people that commit heinous crimes, but the truth is these laws are used a lot of times to pressure pleas. 95% of all convictions are obtained via pleas. It comes down to whether the DA wants to prosecute and if you have the ability to fight it. If you don't a plea is your only recourse. That is a fact.

This kid is lucky he has exposure and in the state of Tennessee. If he was a normal college kid he would be doomed. The one thing I can say about this state is they are less nutty than most about such things.
 
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#286
#286
MmmmmK...

Anyway...I hope this kid wasn't this stupid to get caught up in something that sounds this dumb...
 
#288
#288
pimo1 said:
you have obviously never been on the wrong side of the justice system. as a person who is still recovering from my runin with the law in which i got charged with a heap of ridiculous crap. Not a single thing of which was even close to true. I made the mistake of believing in the justice system because, hey, I was innocent and the charges against me were beyond ridiculous. At the time of my arrest I was 39 and had no criminal record of any sort. Had a good job and educational background. Things I thought would all make a difference. Not only did they not make a difference i sat in jail for 3 months before anyone even asked me my side of the story. Even after both my "victims" told the DA that I was not guilty of what i was arrested for they still tried to press charges and called the "victims" liars. In total I spent 9 months locked up in Fulton county jail before i broke down and took a first offender plea (I have since learned it was a big mistake) but my records is now clear and I got my life back on track. In my time in I saw guys inside overprosecuted so badly it should be criminal. The funny thing is the guys that got off were the hardened criminals who were guilty as all h-ll I saw guy come in 2 times and beat 2 bodies (that he really had dropped) in the time it took me to get in front of a judge. I mean seriously' I was in for aggravated assault in a case were no injuries to any party and no weapon used facing over 50 years and this guy Kills beats not one but 2 murder charges before I ever get to see a judge.

Here is the thing different charges have different levels of proof the state has to meet to get a prosecution. Murder 1 for example, is extremely hard to prove. On the other hand felony murder is extremely easy. Felony murder only means someone died while a felony was in progress. The spirit of the law is to get people that commit heinous crimes, but the truth is these laws are used a lot of times to pressure pleas. 95% of all convictions are obtained via pleas. It comes down to whether the DA wants to prosecute and if you have the ability to fight it. If you don't a plea is your only recourse. That is a fact.

This kid is lucky he has exposure and in the state of Tennessee. If he was a normal college kid he would be doomed. The one thing I can say about this state is they are less nutty than most about such things.
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Why weren't you arraigned and offered bail ? A lawyer should have got you out on bail.
 
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#289
#289
JTC55 said:
If what I have been seeing is any indication to what has actually taken place, Coleman will be cleared and hopefully can return before spring practice is over. The story about him taking the merchandise to sell for a "friend" (former teammate), who has already been dismissed from the team, must have some truth considering the number of reports. According to his attorney and UT student center that can access this info, he has never even swiped his student ID card to get into Reese (the dorm where the theft occurred). None the less, even if he followed someone in, what is the likelihood that he knew which dorm room to find the merchandise? I truly believe he is innocent although he did make a dumb mistake.
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Irrelevant. Thomas didn't have to personally steal the Xbox from the dorm room to be guilty of theft; it's enough that he received property he knew or should have known was stolen and didn't report it to the police. T.C.A. §§ 39-14-101, -103. The fact that Thomas sold away the Xbox at a Game Stop store on the SAME AFTERNOON it was stolen is extremely suspicious. Even if somebody else physically stole the property, who drops everything they're doing and immediately sells $640 worth of video game merchandise for pennies on the dollar ($176) on behalf of somebody else so far away from the university? I think Thomas knew EXACTLY what he was doing, but even if he didn't, that level of stupidity is still criminal if a prosecutor can prove willful ignorance.

Coleman, if this is you, what the hell were you thinking? If you think you're coming back before the end of spring practice, I don't think you appreciate the depth of the sh*t you've gotten yourself stuck in.
 
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#290
#290
AboveAllNations said:
Irrelevant. Thomas didn't have to personally steal the Xbox from the dorm room to be guilty of theft; it's enough that he received property he knew or should have known was stolen and didn't report it to the police. T.C.A. §§ 39-14-101, -103. The fact that Thomas sold away the Xbox at a Game Stop store on the SAME AFTERNOON it was stolen is extremely suspicious. Even if somebody else physically stole the property, who drops everything they're doing and immediately sells $640 worth of video game merchandise for pennies on the dollar ($176) on behalf of somebody else so far away from the university? I think Thomas knew EXACTLY what he was doing, but even if he didn't, that level of stupidity is still criminal if a prosecutor can prove willful ignorance.

Coleman, if this is you, what the hell were you thinking? If you think you're coming back before the end of spring practice, I don't think you appreciate the depth of the sh*t you've gotten yourself stuck in.
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Nancy Grace?
 
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#291
#291
Good one. There are these little details called FACTS that matter a lot in a case like this.
When those are known, then Nancy Grace Above All can shout to the heavens all he.she wants.....or not
 
#292
#292
goldenvol said:
Why weren't you arraigned and offered bail ? A lawyer should have got you out on bail.
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Can't speak for him but it is possible that bail was set high and he couldn't afford to post the percentage required.

My one run in was serious also, and at 38 with a spotless record, I too was surprised with how much more concerned the court was with getting money than any form of justice.

Hopefully if Coleman is innocent, there will be enough media attention to have actual correct process but keep this in mind - prosecutors have career goals like all of us and they boast number of convictions- NOT JUSTICE-
achieved when running for judge etc.. Please remember guys, my statement does not reflect every member of the justice system but also don't be surprised that it is essentially ran as a business not a form of fairness.
 
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#294
#294
AboveAllNations said:
Irrelevant. Thomas didn't have to personally steal the Xbox from the dorm room to be guilty of theft; it's enough that he received property he knew or should have known was stolen and didn't report it to the police. T.C.A. §§ 39-14-101, -103. The fact that Thomas sold away the Xbox at a Game Stop store on the SAME AFTERNOON it was stolen is extremely suspicious. Even if somebody else physically stole the property, who drops everything they're doing and immediately sells $640 worth of video game merchandise for pennies on the dollar ($176) on behalf of somebody else so far away from the university? I think Thomas knew EXACTLY what he was doing, but even if he didn't, that level of stupidity is still criminal if a prosecutor can prove willful ignorance.

Coleman, if this is you, what the hell were you thinking? If you think you're coming back before the end of spring practice, I don't think you appreciate the depth of the sh*t you've gotten yourself stuck in.
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Just wow. You also understand the intent of the law you cited right? Very shortened version, to curb theft by curbing the "fence", or pawn shops etc.. that willingly take suspicious merchandise. Like the steel recycling companies accepting public works man hole covers.

It was not created to punish naïve or even stupid kids. If you can research the laws, then please research the debates that preceded and the intent.
 
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#295
#295
Volnation, I need you guys to help me out. I had my ps4 stolen out of my dorm room last week similarly to this Coleman Thomas story, and they saw the guy on camera. They won't let me see the footage, so I don't try and go kill the guy (Not a bad idea). But from what I have heard from security and police is that they are pretty sure who stole it. I gave them my serial number, and now if it pops up at a pawn shop or anything, it will be red flagged. But a tip has come in saying that the guy already sold it for $200, so I think the chances of it just "poping up" are looking bleak. On top of this all the police will tell me is that they will update me on any developments.

There has got to be some way I can press charges And he recieve some justice right? Is that enough evidence to convict the guy? I'm not really that knowledgeable on that side of the legal system, and would really appreciate you guys giving me some advice on this, or at least confirming my suspicion that I am totally SOL.
 
#297
#297
WreckingVol said:
Volnation, I need you guys to help me out. I had my ps4 stolen out of my dorm room last week similarly to this Coleman Thomas story, and they saw the guy on camera. They won't let me see the footage, so I don't try and go kill the guy (Not a bad idea). But from what I have heard from security and police is that they are pretty sure who stole it. I gave them my serial number, and now if it pops up at a pawn shop or anything, it will be red flagged. But a tip has come in saying that the guy already sold it for $200, so I think the chances of it just "poping up" are looking bleak. On top of this all the police will tell me is that they will update me on any developments.

There has got to be some way I can press charges And he recieve some justice right? Is that enough evidence to convict the guy? I'm not really that knowledgeable on that side of the legal system, and would really appreciate you guys giving me some advice on this, or at least confirming my suspicion that I am totally SOL.
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1. You should be able to get a copy of the security tape as well as campus security and/or local police reports, using a Tennessee Open Records Act request (this is the state version of the federal Freedom of Information Act). Both public university and local police jurisdictions are subject to the law, I believe. Google the act name for an example of a request.

2. For criminal proceedings against the alleged thief, you'll have to let the police do their job. Be patient.

3. If you want to sue the guy in civil court to try to get your property back, or to be compensated for its loss, you're free to do that. You'll probably need a lawyer, which means you're probably going to put into play a lot more money than the value of your ps4. You could get it all back, including the lawyer fees, eventually. But it's still a gamble to some extent.

4. If you have personal property insurance, it may cover loss to theft. You'll have to check your policy. If you don't, might want to look into it. Though, for small claims like this, the deductible may be as large as the loss, so not worth claiming.

And to caveat all this -- I'm not a lawyer, just a guy who has been around the block a few times. If you're serious about #3, you really need to get hold of an actual lawyer.
 
#300
#300
WreckingVol said:
Volnation, I need you guys to help me out. I had my ps4 stolen out of my dorm room last week similarly to this Coleman Thomas story, and they saw the guy on camera. They won't let me see the footage, so I don't try and go kill the guy (Not a bad idea). But from what I have heard from security and police is that they are pretty sure who stole it. I gave them my serial number, and now if it pops up at a pawn shop or anything, it will be red flagged. But a tip has come in saying that the guy already sold it for $200, so I think the chances of it just "poping up" are looking bleak. On top of this all the police will tell me is that they will update me on any developments.

There has got to be some way I can press charges And he recieve some justice right? Is that enough evidence to convict the guy? I'm not really that knowledgeable on that side of the legal system, and would really appreciate you guys giving me some advice on this, or at least confirming my suspicion that I am totally SOL.
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If he is not on the team press charges. If he is on the team, you can claim your ps4 as a charitable contribution on your tax return. thank you for your donation
 
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