USF Scandal

TAMPA — A former University of South Florida basketball player was shot Thursday by a deputy U.S. marshal serving a drug-related warrant.

David Christopher Sills, 26, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital after the 11:30 a.m. incident, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent Jim Madden said.

Sills was shot in the torso, but his injuries were not life-threatening, Madden said. He was booked into the Orient Road Jail about 4 p.m. Friday, after being treated at St. Joseph’s. He is being held without bail.

——-

A police report at the time indicated that he shoved a USF parking patroller who was placing a boot on his car in the parking lot adjacent to the Bulls’ basketball arena. Officers said they found marijuana in his impounded car.

A former junior point guard for the USF Bulls, Sills was dismissed from the team in 2005, with then-coach Robert McCullum citing Sills’ poor attitude and behavior. Sills studied communications at USF for two semesters, from May until December 2005, and left without graduating, USF spokeswoman Lara Wade said.

Sills’ most recent arrest came in January, when he was charged with trafficking in cocaine. Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said a warrant had been issued for Sills’ arrest after he sold cocaine to an undercover officer in November.

On Thursday, when the shooting occurred, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was serving a TPD-originated warrant for failure to appear in court on those charges, McElroy said.

Link

USF linebacker Devon Davis was arrested Sunday morning with outstanding warrants just hours after a USF football game.

Davis, 20, was pulled over at 1:57 a.m. because he was driving a vehicle with the headlights off. An arrest warrant was issued after he failed to show up for a court appearance for misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Link

Highly rated USF recruit Leslie Stirrups fails to qualify and commits felonies.
The news reported in Tuesday’s Times that former Hillsborough High lineman Leslie Stirrups had been arrested and charged with six felonies brought a range of responses from fans — frustration, disappointment, disbelief.

I caught the arrest late enough Monday night that I wasn’t able to get a lot of details beyond the basic charges. In short, police say Stirrups stole digital cameras worth about $300 each and other small items from cars parked in the parking lot near Tampa International Airport where he and his mother worked.

Link

LAND O’ LAKES Former Pasco High and University of South Florida football standout Johnny Peyton was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony possession of cocaine.

Peyton, 21, was the passenger of a truck that was pulled over at 4:22 p.m. for a cracked windshield. As the officer approached the truck, Peyton allegedly attempted to conceal an object, by tossing it in the backseat of the truck.

Link