Auburn football player among alleged victims in Elijah Daniel theft, burglary cases

An Auburn football player is among the alleged victims in the theft and burglary cases involving former Tigers defensive end Elijah Daniel and two other former Auburn athletes.

Daniel, former walk-on linebacker DeNorris James and former track walk-on Khalil Sellers are accused of stealing a Apple Macbook laptop and Tag Heuer watch from Stanton Truitt, a sophomore wide receiver and former teammate of Daniel and James, according to court documents.

The three were arrested on April 29 on assorted theft and burglary charges, including theft in the first degree for stealing Truitt's computer and watch valued at $2,550 - the most expensive items stolen during the robberies from the South Donahue Residence Hall over spring break. The $51 million building, which opened in July 2013, is where many Auburn athletes, including the football team, reside.

(Update 4:30 p.m.): During a preliminary hearing held at the T.K. Davis Jr. Justice Center in Opelika Wednesday morning Lee County District Judge Steven Speakman said there was probable cause to send the cases against Daniel, James and Sellers to a grand jury.

Among the other items Daniel, James and Sellers are accused of stealing from four other victims are multiple Xbox 360 game consoles and video games, an Xbox One game console and games, designer watches and cologne, according to court documents.

Daniel is facing four charges of theft and four charges of burglary, while Sellers and James are facing five charges of both theft and burglary. Court documents state James admitted to the burglaries and implicated Daniel and Sellers.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn dismissed Daniel, 21, from the team on May 2.

"He's looking to end up somewhere else and move past this," said Martin Weinberg, Daniel's attorney.

Daniel, a junior, co-led the team with 17 quarterback hurries and finished with 15 tackles, including one sack, in 2014. He added 19 pounds in the offseason and suffered a hamstring injury early in spring practice but was said to be OK and was expected to also contribute at tackle under defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

"He's a guy that has some flexibility," Muschamp said in March.

Daniel played in all 27 games, including two starts last season, during his two seasons at Auburn and started with the first-team defense on A-Day, during which he had two tackles and a hurry. He was expected to compete against DaVonte Lambert and freshman Byron Cowart for a starting job this fall.

James, 23-year-old linebacker from Smiths Station, walked on in the spring but was removed from the roster prior to his arrest. On May 19, James tweeted he planned to transfer to a Big 10 or ACC school.

Sellers, 21, was a walk on for the track program several years ago.

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