Man accused of stealing Mizzou football merch from stadium while wearing gorilla mask, selling them on Facebook Marketplace
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man was charged with two felonies after he allegedly stole several memorabilia items from Mizzou’s football stadium while wearing a gorilla mask.
Jace McKernan, 18, was charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree burglary. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.
The probable cause statement says that McKernan went into the Mizzou Football South End Zone Facility roughly 10 times from March 2-25 with “other unidentified individuals.” He allegedly took boxes of Mizzou football athletic gear, clothing, alcohol, paintings and other items.
On March 24, police saw that a number of items still in their original packaging being sold on Facebook Marketplace, the statement says.
Among the items included Jordan football gloves, Mizzou hats, men’s and women’s Nike Air Max 90s, a Wilson football and Mizzou football gloves, court documents say. The items were being sold under a profile named “Jason Cortez,” court documents say.
University of Missouri police officers spoke with the director of MU’s athletic equipment operations, who confirmed the items were not available to the public, court documents says. The Jordan gloves “were specifically given to Mizzou football” for two players “labeled as ‘Jordan Players,’” the statement says.
The Nike shoes were using by athletic training staff and were delivered on March 19, the statement says. The hats would not be for sale until July and a hoodie seen in the Facebook profile picture of the fake account belonged to Mizzou football, the statement says.
The fake account also included a BMW for sale that was registered to Stacey McKernan “with a transfer on death to Jace McKernan,” the statement says. The vehicle was also allegedly seen on surveillance video in the case, the statement says. McKernan’s Department of Revenue photo also matched the photo of one of the men in the Facebook profile, police wrote.
Police went to McKernan’s residence, where he allegedly admitted to taking the items, a number of which were still at his residence, court documents say. He also allegedly admitted to painting his face black to hide his identity and still had paint on his face while talking to police, the statement says.
