Cowboys running back Randle arrested on shoplifting charge

Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle was arrested by Frisco police Monday night and charged with shoplifting a two-pack of Polo underwear and a tester bottle of Gucci Guilty Black cologne at a Dillard’s department store in Frisco.

Officer Chad LaPrelle, a spokesman for the Frisco police department, confirmed that Randle was arrested on a Class B misdemeanor for a theft between $50-$500. The alleged theft by Randle, 22, was caught via video surveillance.

Randle was transported to the Frisco city jail and was released after posting a $350 bond.

According to a source, the running back likely will be fined by the Cowboys but not suspended. The fine could range from $10,000 to $30,000.

A Class B misdemeanor is on the level of a speeding ticket, so it doesn’t warrant a suspension, a source said.

Randle was at the team’s facility Tuesday evening but did not make himself available to the media. He stayed in the training room during the media access period and then left the building.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett did not comment on the arrest on Tuesday but likely will address it at his news conference Wednesday.

However, Joseph Randle’s father, who wouldn’t give his first name, says his son is innocent, according to a WFAA report.

“My son is not a thief, OK? He was just trying to get his baby out of there because she was clowning pretty bad. All he was going to do is take the baby out and then he was going to come back and take care of his business,” his father said in a phone interview with WFAA/Channel 8 reporter Tanya Eiserer.

His father said the incident has been blown out of proportion and his son is a Christian who had his child and her mother with him at the time.

“He said, ‘They wouldn’t come and wait on me so I wanted to get them outside the door so she could try to calm her down and then come back.’ It’s as simple as that,” the father said.

There was no mention in the police report of a child with Randle.

Randle, who joined the Cowboys as a fifth-round pick in 2013 out of Oklahoma State, signed a four-year, $2.3 million rookie contract, including a $188,820 signing bonus. His base salary this season is $495,000.

Officers were called to the Dillard’s at Stonebriar Mall at 8:17 p.m. Monday after the store’s loss-prevention employees detained Randle.

According to the police report, Randle attempted to steal a two-pack of Polo underwear worth $39.50 and a tester bottle of Gucci Guilty Black cologne valued at $84.

The alleged theft was captured on video surveilance. Randle was stopped by security and escorted back to the store, where the items were recovered.

After an officer arrested Randle and began taking the Cowboys player to the Frisco jail for processing, Randle told police without prompting he “should have kept walking to his car if he knew he would be arrested” and that when he saw the security officer he thought, “All right, y’all got me,” according to the arrest report.

A second officer, who arrived at the scene and spoke to Randle in the loss-prevention office, said he asked Randle what he stole, and the running back responded “some underwear and a tester bottle of cologne,” and said he didn’t pay for it “because he did not want to take the time to do it.”

The arrest came one day after Randle enjoyed a breakout game in the Cowboys’ 30-23 victory against the Seattle Seahawks.

He rushed five times for 52 yards, including a 38-yard scamper in the first quarter to help set the tone against Seattle’s top-ranked run defense.

Randle also had a key tackle on special teams.

Now the question is how this arrest will impact his status with the Cowboys.

The team recently instituted a zero-tolerance policy regarding charges and arrests for crimes, including domestic violence.

Randle is the first Cowboys player to be arrested this season.

WFAA News contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Cowboys running back Randle arrested on shoplifting charge."