Former Montwood's all-state running back arrested
Lenny Jurado
Daniel Borunda
Former Montwood High School all-state running back Edward Britton was arrested last Wednesday for shoplifting a pair of MP3 players from a Northeast Wal-Mart.
The senior, El Paso's most sought-after football recruit last fall, was stopped by police at 10:45 a.m. near the store at 4530 Trans Mountain and was found with two audio players worth $157 each, police said.
The store gave police a description of the alleged thief, and officers checking the area saw Britton, approached him and detained him in the parking lot near the Wells Fargo Bank, police spokesman Javier Sambrano said.
Britton, of the 2900 block of Titanic, was charged with theft over $50 and under $500 and booked into jail. The theft is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in the county jail and a fine up to $2,000.
The 17-year-old, who now attends Chapin, declined to comment. His father, Edward Sr., said he "deeply regrets" the incident and called it a "slip in character."
"It speaks for itself," Britton Sr. said. "But if you look at today's landscape -- the kids today and the trouble they're getting into -- it's unfortunate, but you always have to look at the bright side. It could be worse. ... My son doesn't go out and drink. He doesn't have a record. In school, he was never suspended for fighting, was never truant, so this definitely was a shock."
Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach, who signed Britton to a full scholarship in February, said Monday that he was unaware of his arrest.
Asked if the incident would affect the athlete's scholarship, Leach declined to comment, adding "Don't you all have anything better to write over there?"
As of Monday evening, Britton Sr. had not contacted the Texas Tech football staff regarding his son's arrest, saying that "this is a personal matter and a situation where Edward is growing up, and we're going to handle this like anything else. If they call me, and it becomes a concern, we're going to address it."
The father added that he does not think Edward's scholarship is in jeopardy.
"We talk to (assistant football coach Dave Brown) on a regular basis, and character is something they value. I think Edward's character is still intact," Britton Sr. said.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete is regarded as El Paso's top running back after topping 2,000 yards rushing each of the past two seasons. He capped his high school career by becoming just the first El Paso football player ever chosen to the Class 5A all-state first team in consecutive seasons.
Montwood head football coach Chuck Veliz considers Britton's character as admirable as his athletic skill, which is why the news of his former star runner's arrest came as a surprise.
"It doesn't sound like anything he's done before or is capable of doing," Veliz said. "I could never imagine something like this from him. I'm very surprised and saddened by it. I wish it wasn't true."