This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Three Utah State University redshirt freshmen football players have been suspended from the program after being charged in connection with a pair of burglaries in Logan that took place in December. A fourth man arrested as part of the police investigation is a former member of the program.
Linebackers Troy Murray, a Logan resident and Logan High graduate, and Kevin Meitzenheimer, a resident of Moreno Valley, Calif., as well as defensive back Jay Brown, a resident of Chino Hills, Calif., are all suspended indefinitely from the football team, according to the USU athletic department.
None of the three played in a game last fall, but they were with the team during spring practices, which concluded April 8. The fourth player, Dayshawn Littleton, signed as a defensive back in the 2016 incoming freshman class, is no longer part of the program.
Murray and Brown, both 19, were arrested April 4 and 5, respectively, as suspects in the theft of electronics equipment including video game consoles. Officers traced the equipment to Salt Lake City after Murray and Brown allegedly pawned it.
USU coach Matt Wells told The Tribune last month that Murray and Brown had both been suspended from all team activities. They did not play in the team's spring game on April 8. Both have been charged within the past week.
Charges against Meiztenheimer and Littleton, both 19, stem from an alleged attempt to prevent charges from being filed against Murray and Brown. Meiztenheimer and Littleton allegedly tried to hit a witness with a car and threatened to return and shoot the witness, according to Logan Police. When police arrested the the men on April 5, they found an assault rifle in the car. They were both charged on April 27.
Littleton appeared in the team's media guide going into the fall season, but he did not play. He was not part of the program during spring practices in March and April, and he is not currently on the team according to USU's athletic department.