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UA Baseball Player Pleads Guilty to Shoplifting

University of Arkansas baseball player Colin Poche has pleaded guilty to shoplifting, Fayetteville Prosecuting Attorney Casey Jones said. Poche and another fres...
Hog pitches

University of Arkansas baseball player Colin Poche has pleaded guilty to shoplifting, Fayetteville Prosecuting Attorney Casey Jones said.

Poche and another freshman pitcher, Adam Meyer, were arrested in January on suspicion of shoplifting, records show. They were set to appear in Fayetteville District Court for trial on May 1.

However, Poche entered a guilty plea as part of a settlement arrangement, and Meyer’s trial date was rescheduled for May 22, court officials said.

The settlement arrangement resulted in a suspended 30-day jail sentence for Poche, the prosecutor said. Poche also is required to pay a $200 fine and $140 in court costs. Poche’s criminal record will be expunged after a year if he maintains a clean record, the prosecutor said.

Chad Crunk, the university’s baseball sports information director, said Poche’s guilty plea “has not changed” his status with the team, meaning he is still a member of the Razorback baseball team.

Crunk said both said pitchers were suspended for the first three games of the season after their arrests.

Poche and Meyer were arrested Jan. 20 and released that same evening on a $565 bond each, records show. (The booking photos of Poche, left, and Meyer are shown with this story.)

Poche and Meyer attempted to steal two cases of beer and deli sandwiches from a Fayetteville Walmart, according to the preliminary arrest report from Fayetteville District Court.

Meyer assumed a “look-out position” as Poche took the two cases of beer and put them in a tote bag in their cart, the report states.

The two left the store without attempting to purchase the items, according to the report.

Poche, a 6-foot-3 inch, 195-pound left-hander from Flower Mound, Texas, was a fifth round pick in the 2012 Major League draft but chose to attend Arkansas instead of signing with the Baltimore Orioles. He has been named SEC Freshman of the Week.

While Poche and Meyer have been allowed to remain on the baseball team, another pitcher who was arrested this year, Thomas Altimont, was kicked off the team by Coach Dave Van Horn.

“We have and will continue to hold our student-athletes to a high standard, and any inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated,” Van Horn said of Altimont’s dismissal.

Altimont, a junior right-hander, was arrested by Fayetteville police in April and faces kidnapping and third-degree battery charges.

He was booked in the Washington County Detention Center and released on a $10,000 bond. His arraignment is set for May 13, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office website.

A preliminary police report states Fayetteville police responded to a disturbance call at approximately 1:25 a.m. Friday at an apartment on South Conway Place where they were told someone was being held against her will. The officers arrived and entered the apartment after finding the door ajar, the report said.

The officers heard crying coming a bedroom and forced their way through the door, which was locked, and found a man, identified as Altimont, leaning over a woman, who was crying on the bed, the report said. Altimont, 21, refused to obey officers’ command to leave the bedroom so he was escorted out of the room, the report said.

Altimont, of Southlake, Texas, transferred to Arkansas this year from McLennan Community College. He was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in five appearances for the Razorbacks.

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