Overview
- The suspects, ages 14 to 15, play for Philadelphia’s United Thoroughbreds and were in Polk County for the Prolifix Nationals tournament.
- Deputies say the group split into two teams, with one teen buying an item to get a store bag that others filled with merchandise, for a total of 47 items worth $2,296.07.
- All eight face felony counts of retail theft over $750 and conspiracy to commit retail theft and were processed at the Juvenile Assessment Center.
- Officials report no prior arrest histories for the teens, who were released and must return to Florida from Pennsylvania for court proceedings.
- The arrests sidelined the players from the title game, which the Thoroughbreds lost 26–6, as Sheriff Grady Judd criticized the coach for trying to forestall arrests.