ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Authorities are continuing the process of trying to arrest Michigan wide receiver Jerald Robinson to face one misdemeanor count of malicious destruction of personal property.
A bench warrant was issued March 23. A Michigan spokesman said Wednesday, however, that the warrant "is news to us," and it might be news to Robinson as well.
Robinson failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on March 23, causing the court to issue a warrant notice to be mailed on two occasions to Robinson. Both mailings were returned.
Although police could not confirm that the Jerald Robinson sought is indeed the Michigan receiver, his birthdate and hometown of Canton, Ohio, on the warrant are a match with his profile on the Michigan athletic department website.
A Jerald B. Robinson -- court records list him as Jerald B. Robinson II -- is also listed in the Michigan student directory.
Robinson is accused of "wilfully (sic) and maliciously destroy or injure a parking entrance/exit gate arm the personal property of Republic Parking," at 351 S. Fifth Ave., on Feb. 4, according to court records.
Robinson has been accessible to those who know he is a Michigan student-athlete. He has spent hours practicing with the team this spring at Schembechler Hall.
The process, according to 15th District Court administrator Keith Zeisloft, works this way: The court mails warrants and warrant notices, when necessary, to addresses filed by law enforcement. For Robinson, the notice was sent to an address in his hometown of Canton.
When it was returned, the court searched for another address, and that mailing was returned as well. The court found another address, and re-mailed the warrant Tuesday.
In college towns where students often move, updating addresses doesn't always occur, making the court's job somewhat more tedious.
Zeisloft said more often than not, these cases get worked out because either the defendant contacts the court to resolve the issue, or the court eventually finds the defendant through its mailings.
"It is more likely that Mr. Robinson will present himself," Zeisloft said.
The court, in theory, could dispatch a police officer to find Robinson, but these types of cases, Zeisloft said, do not typically require such action. Instead, they usually continue to do their address searching and wait to see if Robinson is informed of the warrant through varying means.