Jack Jones, a former starting cornerback for USC, was arrested early Friday on two felony charges.
According to a news release from the Santa Paula police department, police were called at 3:09 a.m. Friday about a burglary at a Panda Express restaurant in town. Police responded to the scene and arrested Jones, 20, and another man, Douglas Curry, 20, inside the restaurant. Another suspect, Lohia Marks, 19, was arrested after a short car pursuit.
According to online court records, Jones faces charges of felony commercial burglary (under $950) and felony conspiracy to commit a crime. He was booked in the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $20,000.
Attorney Jamal Tooson, whose office represents Jones, issued a statement saying he's confident that Jones will "overcome this adversity.'' Tooson also says he'll talk to the district attorney about resolving the situation.
Jones is scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon in Ventura County Superior Court.
Jones, who started last season for USC and led the team with four interceptions to go with 40 tackles, was declared academically ineligible in May after sitting out all of spring practice to focus on his grades. He told the Los Angeles Times last week that he planned to enroll at a local junior college for the fall, with the hope of improving his grades so he could return to major college football in 2019.
ESPN rated Jones as the No. 10 cornerback and No. 96 overall player in the 2016 recruiting class. The Long Beach, California, native appeared in 13 games as a reserve in 2016 before moving into a starting role as a sophomore.
