UPDATED: MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — MTSU Police acted quickly and worked to get to the bottom of the situation, helping protect students and keep the campus community safer. Most recently, a series of electric scooter thefts reported around Middle Tennessee State University’s football stadium and the Student-Athlete Performance Center earlier this month led to the arrest of two suspects after campus police connected several incidents that occurred within a short period of time. Their quick response, careful attention, and follow-up investigation allowed officers to identify the suspects, recover property, and prevent additional thefts in the area.

According to incident reports from the Middle Tennessee State University Police Department, officers initially began investigating scooter thefts on March 4 and March 5 after several students reported their personal transportation devices missing from areas surrounding Floyd Stadium and the Student-Athlete Performance Center.

One of the earliest cases occurred the morning of March 4 when a student reported a Circooter scooter missing from the west side of the Student-Athlete Performance Center. The owner told police he parked the black scooter around 8:00 a.m. and returned roughly an hour later to find it gone. A short time after the report was filed, officers located the scooter parked near the stadium ticket office, indicating the suspect had abandoned it and taken another scooter instead.

Later that same day, another student reported a more expensive scooter taken near Gate 2 of Floyd Stadium. Investigators later determined that surveillance cameras captured a suspect removing the scooter around 7:44 a.m. before eventually returning it and taking a different one. The recovered scooter, valued at about $1,200, was returned to its owner after he verified ownership through his phone automatically connecting to the device.

The thefts continued into the following day. On March 5, campus police were dispatched to the Student-Athlete Performance Center after a student reported that his red and black Hiboy KS4 Pro scooter, valued at nearly $400, had disappeared after he parked it under the north end bleachers of Floyd Stadium while attending a meeting. When the student returned a short time later, the scooter was gone.

While officers were taking that report, another student approached police to report a second scooter stolen from the same general location. The student said he had parked his Roinside scooter under the north end bleachers around 5:20 a.m., but it was missing when he returned later in the morning. The scooter was valued at approximately $185.

Investigators began linking the cases together as reports continued to come in. Later that evening, officers responded to Old Lascassas Road after receiving a call about an abandoned electric scooter.

Police detained two individuals at the scene who were later identified as Jenna Marie Mize, 20, and Johnathan Morris, 39. According to investigators, both suspects were identified in connection with several of the scooter theft reports.

Authorities say Mize admitted during questioning to taking multiple scooters from the MTSU campus. Morris also reportedly admitted to taking at least one electric scooter from Floyd Stadium during an interview with investigators.

Police obtained several warrants in connection with the thefts. Mize was charged with multiple counts of theft of property, including two counts of theft under $1,000 and one count involving property valued between $1,000 and $2,500. Morris was charged with theft of property under $1,000.

During the arrest, officers also located a small quantity of cannabis-related products, cigarettes, and a vape pen among the suspects’ belongings.

Both suspects were issued criminal trespass warnings banning them from MTSU property. Investigators also seized a cellphone belonging to Mize as part of the evidence in the ongoing case.

Authorities say several scooters were recovered during the investigation, though some property remained missing as detectives continued to review evidence and surveillance footage.

The investigation remains active under the supervision of MTSU Police.