Michigan basketball players get community service sentence

Jet, Feb 28, 1994

Three Univ. of Michigan basketball players caught on videotape stealing beer from a convenience store last month pleaded no contest recently to retail fraud and will perform community service.

Michigan football player Damon Jones, who was accused of trying to steal beer from the same store a week later, stood mute on the same charge before Ann Arbor District Judge Timothy Connors. Jones is already on probation for a previous felony charge.

Basketball starters Jimmy King and Ray Jackson and reserve Chris Fields will have the charges purged from their records in six months if they perform 72 hours of community service and pay $200 in court fees, their attorney Paul Gallagher said.

Also facing shoplifting charges were placekicker Remy Hamilton, store clerk Allison Chenault and Chenault's friend Jaymar Joseph.

An assistant manager, who was suspicious about possible thefts, looked at surveillance and saw the basketball players stealing five to seven cases of beer Jan. 12.

King, Jackson and Fields were suspended from Michigan's victory over Michigan State on Feb. 5. But they were back in action for a victory over Indiana on Feb. 8.