GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida backup quarterback Cameron Newton was charged with stealing another student's laptop computer after being arrested Friday.
Newton was suspended from the team, spokesman Steve McClain said, and was being held in the Alachua County jail. He has been charged with felony counts of burglary, larceny and obstructing justice.
According to the University Police Department, Newton stole the laptop worth $1,700 and threw it out his dormitory window Friday when officers arrived to investigate the theft.
A student reported the computer stolen Oct. 16, according to the police report, and an investigation linked the laptop to Newton five days later when he allegedly used the machine to access the school's network. The school identified the user name as "cnewton," police said.
University police went to Newton's dorm Friday, were invited inside and noticed the laptop on Newton's desk. Officers left the room to confirm that the computer matched the serial code of the laptop reported stolen, according to the report. When they returned, it was gone.
According to police, the laptop had been painted black on the top and had "Cam Newton" written on the top in white paint. Officers found the computer behind a trash bin outside the dorm and learned that "Mr. Newton threw the computer out of his bedroom window," the report said.
Newton, a sophomore from College Park, Ga., passed for 40 yards as Tim Tebow's backup last year. He has been slowed by injuries this season -- he sprained an ankle early in the season and injured his neck in a car accident earlier this month.
He has appeared in one game this season, completing one pass for 14 yards and rushing for 10 yards on five carries against Hawaii on Aug. 30.
Newton is the second Florida player with legal troubles this season. Backup cornerback Jacques Rickerson was kicked off the team two weeks after he was arrested and accused of slapping his girlfriend, choking her and then covering her face with a pillow. He was charged with felony battery.
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