Shoplifting charge against former Washington State defensive back Zaire Webb dismissed

SEATTLE – The theft charge against former Washington State defensive back Zaire Webb has been dismissed due to insufficient evidence, according to Whitman County court records.

Webb and former WSU receiver Anthony White were arrested and accused of shoplifting at the Walmart in Pullman on Oct. 4.

Webb and White, both freshmen, were accused of paying only $50 for $275 worth of merchandise. Store surveillance cameras showed Webb standing next to White as White operated the self-checkout machine.

Based on surveillance camera footage all obtained by The Seattle Times, on several occasions, White appeared to weigh items in his hands before running some items past the scanner while bypassing the scanner on other items and placing them directly into plastic bags. Store employees detained the men on their way out the door, and Pullman Police was alerted.

White, from Miami, Fla., pleaded guilty to third degree theft and served one day in jail and was ordered to pay fines.

Webb, from Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded not guilty, and the theft charge against him was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Per court records, the charge against him could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

“He had absolutely nothing to do with the theft,” said Webb’s attorney, Luke Baumgarten. “The person who committed the theft pled guilty. This was purely a case of ‘guilty by association’ by Walmart security officers, the Pullman Police Department and WSU. The prosecutor agreed with us there was no evidence to tie Zaire to the theft. He wasn’t involved.”

Webb and White were both dismissed from the WSU football team after their arrest in October. White did not appear in a game this season, and Webb played in five games in a reserve role before his dismissal.

WSU Athletics spokesperson Bill Stevens confirmed Thursday that Webb and White remain off the football team.