By Stephanie Taylor
Staff Writer
UPDATE: A judge dismissed the charges against Humphrey on March 2, 2018.
An attorney representing Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey in a felony robbery case says the charges stemmed from a misunderstanding over a phone charger.
Humphrey, 21, turned himself in to police Thursday morning, nearly two weeks after the incident on the University of Alabama campus with an Uber driver.
The driver, 30, had picked Humphrey and three women up from the Strip around 2 a.m. on Jan. 13, according to the police report. He had dropped two of the women off at another location and was taking Humphrey and a woman to Hotel Capstone.
The Uber driver told police Humphrey borrowed his $15 Android charger and refused to return it, saying the former Alabama player elbowed him and “balled up his fist and acted like he wanted to fight.”
Paul Patterson, one of the Tuscaloosa attorneys representing Humphrey, called it a misunderstanding and an “innocent mistake.”
“Marlon needed an iPhone cord, and he thought he had one with him,” Patterson said. “He reached down and accidentally picked up the Android phone of the Uber driver. As he stepped out of the vehicle, the Uber driver confronted him about stealing a cord, and at this point, Marlon still thought it was his Apple cord. It escalated from this small event to a warrant being issued for Marlon’s arrested. Now he’s having to face all the scrutiny of his reputation and all of the headlines just based on misidentifying a car phone charger.”
According to the police report, the driver said Humphrey took other cords from the car before going into the hotel. Police officers who responded found Humphrey and the woman in the lobby.
They both said the charger belonged to Humphrey, according to the report. But the officer noticed the Android charger didn’t fit Humphrey’s iPhone and returned it to the Uber driver.
Police wrote the report as a harassment and fourth-degree theft. The driver later went to a magistrate, who issued a warrant to charge Humphrey with third-degree burglary, based on the driver’s account of force or the threat of force used.
Humphrey, the son of former Alabama player and NFL running back Bobby Humphrey, signed a four-year contract worth $11,847,480 with the Ravens on May 4, 2017, that included a $6,756,348 signing bonus.
“He’s got 11 million reasons, and I think everyone would agree, not to steal a $3 cord, because he didn’t,” Patterson said.
Patterson is representing Humphrey alongside attorneys Chuck Malone and Jessica Schaub of Malone & Nelson LLC. He said the attorneys will prepare for trial and ask the Tuscaloosa County District Attorneys Office to dismiss the charge.
“We look forward to clearing his name, to clearing this up,” he said.
Humphrey turned himself in to police Thursday. He was released around 10:30 a.m. after posting 10 percent of a $2,500 bond for the felony charge.
The Ravens issued a statement Thursday:
“Marlon told us that it was a misunderstanding regarding a $15 telephone charger, which he thought was his. Our understanding is that he has been interviewed by University of Alabama Police and is cooperating. We are monitoring the situation.”
UA issued a statement Thursday afternoon.
“Because the incident occurred on campus, UAPD responded and documented the incident,” said Monica Watts, associate vice president for communications. “In a situation like this, however, it is up to the alleged victim to decide whether to pursue a warrant for arrest and, ultimately, up to the magistrate to decide whether a warrant should be issued and for what charge.”
