Police have issued an arrest warrant for Texas football defensive tackle Andre Jones in connection to an alleged robbery which landed former Longhorn safety Robert Joseph in jail last week. Jones, a freshman, will be charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony, according to the Austin Police Department.
Jones was still at large as of Thursday afternoon, though his attorney told APD he would turn himself in on Thursday, said Detective Anthony Bigongiari.
Jones is the fourth UT football player to face criminal charges this summer. Defensive end Henry Melton and linebacker Sergio Kindle were both arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated.
Today is Jones' 18th birthday.
Police were able to identify Jones as the other person of interest in the robbery via Robert Heyward, the owner of the vehicle the suspects used to flee the scene. On the afternoon of the robbery, Heyward picked up Joseph and another person. Heyward said the other person went by "Big Dre" or "Dre" and was a Texas football player.
Police then matched the description from witnesses and Heyward to the Longhorn football roster online. Jones was described as the only light-skinned black player going by the name Dre. The victims all picked Jones in a photo lineup as the second robber, Bigongiari said.
On July 27 officers responded to a call at an apartment complex at 4600 Belmont Drive. According to affidavits, two black men entered the apartment and threatened the lives of five young men, including a 14-year-old in the apartment.
While Joseph allegedly was the only one of the two to brandish a weapon at the victims, witnesses stated Jones made remarks indicating he had a handgun tucked in the waistband of his pants, Bigongiari said.
The two allegedly stole a laptop, portable electronics, video games, a small amount of cash and unnamed contraband, Bigongiari said. He would not comment on what the contraband was or give an estimate of the value of the items taken.
The initial description of the second suspect was of a 6-foot-2-inch light-skinned black male weighing 220 pounds. Jones, however, is listed at 6-feet-5, and 295 pounds. Bigongiari attributed the differences to the victim's stress during the encounter.
"When you have a gun pointed in your face, all you see is a big guy," he said.
Jones has yet to play any games for the Longhorns. He graduated in 2006 from Andress High School in El Paso, a semester early, in order to join the roster for this upcoming season.
Jones received numerous accolades during his high school football career, including Prep All-American, three-time all-state selection, first-team All-American by Parade Magazine, and Texas 4A Defensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association.
The charges against him carry a possible punishment of five to 99 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
"I don't know why anybody does something like this," Bigongiari said. "Some people commit robberies because of money, because they're stupid, or because they are that way. You reap what you sow."
No statement has been issued by the UT football team, and Coach Mack Brown was unavailable for comment Thursday.
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