WSU’s Loftus arrested for alleged tequila theft
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- Washington State receiver Drew Loftus was arrested early Friday morning after he allegedly tried to steal two bottles of tequila from the Dissmore's grocery store on North Grand Ave.
Loftus, 19, was taken to the Pullman Police Department and issued three misdemeanor citations for 3rd-degree theft, minor in possession of alcohol and minor intoxicated in public. He was released upon his signature.
Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said a store employee called the police just before 1 a.m. after observing Loftus shove two bottles of tequila -- priced at $21.99 each -- into the waistband of his pants. Loftus then grabbed a carton of eggs and proceeded to the checkout counter, where he attempted to pay for the eggs but not the tequila.
Tennant said a Dissmore's employee told Loftus he had noticed the tequila bottles in his pants. Loftus then hurried to place the bottles back on the shelf and ran out the front door, Tennant said, but he was confronted by police in the parking lot.
The eggs were left behind.
Police observed that Loftus was also displaying signs of being intoxicated, which prompted the drunk-in-public charge.
A WSU spokesman said coaches are aware of the situation and will handle it internally. Loftus' status with the team is unclear. Coach Mike Leach is famed for dismissing players who break one of his three cardinal rules -- no drug use, no stealing, and no abuse of women.
Senior defensive tackle Anthony Laurenzi was dismissed from the team just before fall camp started last season after he allegedly stole a pair of headphones from Wal Mart.
Loftus was also arrested in December of 2011 on a car-prowling charge, according to the Tri-City Herald. He was 18 at the time.
After transferring from Hawaii, Loftus walked on at WSU last season. He appeared in two games as a redshirt freshman and caught one pass for 37 yards.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple