Talk about stupid criminals. Three University of Illinois football players face up to 30 years in prison for armed robbery and home invasion in a campus dorm where they “fumbled” the entire crime and turned the episode into a joke.
Darta Lee, 18, and Howard Watkins, 18, were freshman offensive lineman who were easily caught along with 19-year-old Tarrian Holcombe, a tight end and wide receiver who also played as a true freshman. Lee is scheduled to be arraigned on those charges in Champaign County court on May 11. Court records also show Zarrian Holcombe, 19, and Howard, aka Hojo, Watkins are also facing preliminary charges of home invasion and armed robbery.
Officers of the Champaign Police Department state men were wearing masks and entered an apartment ( where some of the players live) in an effort to rob the person inside. At least one of the men was brandishing what appeared to be a gun.
The problem began, officers stated, when the male victim recognized the voice of one of the masked men and blew their cover.
This is when another of the robbers took off his mask and revealed himself, then tried to play off the robbery as simply a joke or a gag.
Worse, the officers said the gun used in the incident was a fake firearm, but they will be charged with armed robbery nevertheless.
“It’s not a very smart thing to do,” Champaign Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Daniels said, according to FoxIllinois.com, “to go into someone’s house armed, and even with a fake gun with masks on.”
Despite the comedy of errors, the three men allegedly took the money from the victim and raced off. Officers were called to Bromley Hall around 3:30 a.m. The victim gave police enough information to make the arrest of Lee.
Lee must have sang like a bird because a short time later the other two players were taken into custody.
These charges are a Class X Felony. It’s the most serious felony offense on the books, short of first-degree murder, the website stated.
