MKRob Sports

Florida State linebacker Maurice Harris, a former standout at Homestead High, has been suspended indefinitely after campus police in Tallahassee charged him with grand theft and other offenses Monday night.

According to an FSU police probable cause affidavit, Harris was arrested after refusing to explain how he obtained a motorcycle with an altered vehicle identification number and an improper tag.

The incident began Monday afternoon, when parking lot attendants spotted the motorcycle near the FSU athletic department and identified it as being one they had immobilized with a ”boot” late last week. When FSU police arrived, they noticed that the VIN number had been scratched off and that a paper tag attached to the back was not legally assigned to that vehicle.

Officers then contacted Seminoles strength and speed coach Todd Stroud, who told police he had borrowed the motorcycle from Harris earlier in the day. And at Stroud’s urging, Harris came to claim the vehicle and sort out the situation.

According to the police affidavit, Harris accepted the key from Stroud but said he didn’t know anything about a parking boot. And when pressed by the officer, Harris said he didn’t want to continue the interview.

Harris was charged with grand theft in regards to the missing parking boot (valued at $300); possessing a vehicle with altered identification numbers; and a nonmoving violation for the improper registration. The first two charges are felonies.

Harris was released on $3,500 bond early Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday afternoon, FSU police representative Maj. Jim Russell said it had yet to be determined if Harris owned the vehicle.

It is university policy that student-athletes facing felony charges are not allowed to participate in games until their cases are resolved.

Harris, who was first-team All-Dade and All-State as a senior at Homestead, has played sparingly and struggled with injuries since signing with Florida State in 2007. He won the team’s academic award for the sophomore class after last season.