The case of the Heisman Trophy winner and the stolen crab legs just got more interesting, thanks to video footage that, according to the Associated Press, appears to show Florida State University football and baseball star Jameis Winston pausing briefly to avoid a police deputy before leaving a supermarket without paying for crab legs and crawfish.
According to a Leon County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office incident report viewed by AP, Winston can be seen on security video inside a Publix supermarket near the seafood counter. Winston then walks from the seafood area over to a dairy case, where he picked up a package of butter.
Before leaving the store, he stops near bins of sale items near the front entrance as off-duty Deputy Marc Graves passes by, AP reports.
"Mr. Winston paused visibly near a series of sale bins and allowed Deputy Graves to pass in front of him. The pause appeared to be an attempt to avoid walking in front of Deputy Graves. Mr. Winston then walked behind Deputy Graves, passed all points of sale, and exited the store without paying for the merchandise," Deputy Michael Crego wrote in the report viewed by AP.
The video breakdown appears to contradict Winston's statement to deputies that he forgot to pay for the three pounds worth of Old Bay-seasoned steamed crab legs and a pound of Cajun-seasoned crawfish. He was clear that he didn't take the butter, saying that he decided on the way out of the store to place the butter in the sales bin instead of returning it to the dairy cooler, AP reports.
The deputies could not find the butter and were therefore unable to determine whether Winston had in fact returned it. Winston did however sign a civil citation stating that he had committed petit theft, AP reports.
Winston will have to complete 20 hours of community service and has been suspended from FSU's baseball team for three games.
"Mr. Winston apologized repeatedly and stated he wanted to 'make it right,'" Crego wrote.
Read more at the Associated Press.