Overview
- Investigators say five members of the Run It Up AAU travel basketball program hid snacks and drinks and left a Polk County 7‑Eleven without paying, taking items valued at $37.60.
- Deputies found three suspects near the Solterra Resorts rental and recovered the stolen goods hidden in bushes, and law enforcement later located the remaining two teens.
- Each of the five juveniles was charged with two third‑degree felonies — conspiracy to commit retail theft and tampering with evidence — plus petit theft and a juvenile curfew violation.
- Coach Malik Harvey, who works for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, initially denied knowing two suspects, later admitted lying to protect them, and was arrested on a felony child neglect charge and several misdemeanors.
- Sheriff Grady Judd publicly shared surveillance video and framed the arrests as an example of Polk County's strict response to convenience‑store thefts by visiting groups, and officials said the trip was not tied to Harvey's employment.