FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive lineman Jason Peacock pled guilty Monday to misdemeanor theft of property in Washington County Circuit Court and was given a 10-day jail sentence, said deputy prosecuting attorney David Bercaw.
“He got one year’s probation and 10 days in jail, and he already served one day when he was arrested, so he has another nine days to go,” Bercaw said.
Peacock’s attorney, W.H. Taylor of Fayetteville, said Peacock “stepped up like a man” and accepted his responsibility in the case, and will begin serving the remainder of his sentence in the next few days.
“If he completes his probation, his record will be wiped clean,” Taylor said. “He will have no criminal record under the law of Arkansas.”
Peacock was originally charged with Class D felony theft of property, accused of taking and using a stolen credit card to purchase $35.01 in gasoline March 5. University police said Peacock admitted to taking a wallet out of an unattended purse of a female classmate in the Fine Arts building on campus on that date.
“My take on it is this was a once-in-a-lifetime event for Jason Peacock,” Taylor said. “He said when he was pumping the gas he stopped and didn’t even fill his car up because he felt so guilty.”
Peacock, 23, of Millidgeville, Ga., was put on indefinite suspension by then-Coach Bobby Petrino after his March 16 arrest and missed three days of spring practice before returning as a second team offensive tackle.
“I met with Jason Peacock when I arrived on the job and expressed my expectation for him to fulfill his obligations in order to resolve his situation,” Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said Monday in a statement released by the university. “We have high standards for our student-athletes and now that the legal process has taken its course, we will review Jason’s status with the program.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 06/19/2012