GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Former Florida basketball player Erving Walker ended up with one expensive taco.
Walker
Walker's decision to steal a $3 taco from a Gainesville street vender cost him $301, which was the amount he was ordered to pay as punishment after he pled no contest to misdemeanor petit theft charges in Alachua County Court on Thursday morning.
Judge Walter M. Green withheld adjudication and ordered Walker to pay the fine by Sept. 27. The state dropped an additional misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence as part of the agreement.
"It was just a silly mistake," Walker said after his court appearance. "I apologize to everybody. I'm embarrassed about it. That's not me. I'm just trying to put it behind me and move on."
Walker was charged with petit theft and resisting an officer without violence at 1 a.m. ET on March 30 after Gainesville Police Department officers apprehended him following a foot chase that also involved several police cars.
According to an arrest report, Walker ordered and received a taco from a street vendor on Main Street but fled without paying. Police chased Walker onto University Avenue, at which time an officer shouted, "Police! Stop!" The report stated that Walker looked back at the officer but continued to flee.
The 22-year-old Walker was eventually caught several blocks later. According to the report, Walker admitted to stealing the taco but said he was "just playing around."
Walker finished his career at Florida when the Gators lost to Louisville in the Elite Eight. He is the school's all-time leader in assists with 547 and is fourth in scoring with 1,777 points.
