Cougar corner exonerated

CHARGES HAVE been dropped against Washington State cornerback Aire Justin in connection with a burglary that allegedly involved former teammates Romeo Pellum and Kevin Frank, Whitman County prosecutor Denis Tracy said Friday.

Tracy said Aire Justin (formerly known as Tyrone) will not be prosecuted because “it was unlikely we could prove beyond reasonable doubt” he drove Pellum’s car at the crime scene, and because Justin has agreed to testify in the trials of Pellum and Frank.

Pellum and Frank, who were suspended from the football team earlier this year and have since left WSU, are scheduled to go to trial Sept. 21. Pellum has been charged with two counts of residential burglary and first-degree theft. Frank faces one count on each charge.

According to Whitman County Superior Court records, Pellum told a police investigator that he acted alone in a second burglary in which he allegedly stole electronics from his then-Cougar teammates Mike Ledgerwood and Anthony Laurenzi. Both alleged incidents took place in February in WSU dorm rooms. A CF.C story with additional details was published yesterday and can be accessed by Cougfan.com subscribers HERE.

Justin, as a redshirt freshman last year, started six games for the Cougs in '08. He was listed on the pre-fall camp depth chart released this week as the Cougs' starting right cornerback, with Daniel Simmons and Shane Thomas backing him up.

Opposite Justin at left cornerback, Brandon Jones is listed as the starter with Terrance Hayward and Anthony Houston on the depth chart in the second and third spots, respectively.

Washington State's fall camp kicks off out on the Palouse on Aug. 9.