Two USC student journalists arrested for stealing NFL Draft first round pick jerseys

Police found two jerseys from the draft in the students' possession at the Kansas City airport

Two USC students and reporters for The Talk of Troy -- a student-led podcast supported by the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism --  were arrested in the alleged theft of more than $1,000 worth of first-round draft-pick jerseys.

Jude Ocañas and Eric Lambkins were boarding a plane back to Los Angeles from Kansas City, where they had just completed Annenberg Media's first live coverage of the NFL Draft, when they were taken into custody.

Police said they observed the two student reporters enter areas their credentials did not grant them access to after Thursday's first round. They were seen on video going in the "Talent Waiting Room" carrying a bag after 1 a.m on April 28. That bag, police said, looked fuller when they left the room.

The jerseys that were allegedly missing were from the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. All three had the number 1, and no name on the back.

"These jerseys are used to give to players selected in the first round of the NFL draft and have a very sentimental meaning," wrote Kansas City police Det. Craig Leach in the probable cause statement form.

After a search warrant was signed by the judge following the detainment of Ocañas and Lambkins at the airport, the Cowboys and 49ers jerseys were found in the students' possession. The report does not mention the Vikings jersey among the recovered items.

Ocañas and Lambkins were charged with second-degree theft and first-degree trespassing. According to Annenberg Media, each posted $2,500 bail Saturday and have returned to campus.

"Out of respect for our system of justice, we are not going to comment on the evidence outside of the courtroom," the students' defense attorney, David Bell, told the USC outlet. 

"We are confident that the unique set of circumstances in this case, combined with the extraordinary reputations of Mr. Lambkins and Mr. Ocañas, will result in a fair and equitable resolution to all parties involved."

Lambkins -- one of the founders of the The Talk of Troy podcast -- is a journalism graduate student at Annenberg, as well as a U.S. Army veteran and documentary filmmaker. Ocañas is a freshman who is pursuing a journalism major.