The juvenile justice system in Oklahoma City has started its work on J.R. Giddens, the Kansas University men’s basketball signee arrested early Thursday on complaints stemming from a plot to defraud a Wal-Mart store.

The Oklahoma City district attorney’s office, which won’t release details because of confidentiality concerning juveniles, has at least five days to file charges and present them at an arraignment hearing, which could be held before Christmas.

Legal sources say if probable cause is found, a judge can set a trial date at the arraignment. No date for a hearing has been set, J.R.’s mother, Dianna, told the Journal-World on Friday.

Giddens, 17, of John Marshall High, was booked into a juvenile detention facility early Thursday morning and released Thursday afternoon after being arrested on felony complaints of conspiracy to commit grand larceny, grand larceny from a retailer, concealing stolen property and obtaining property by false pretense.

Also arrested were Rickke Leon Green, 48, who told police he was Giddens’ uncle; Katie Lee Citty, 35; and Amber Starr Fletcher, 19.

Police took all four into custody about 3 a.m. Thursday after store security officers watched them on surveillance monitors. The officers told police that Fletcher, who worked at a cashier at the store at 1801 Belle Isle, had disabled security tabs on various products and did not charge for them.

Between them, Giddens, Green and Citty passed $3,853.63 worth of electronics through Fletcher’s checkout stand but paid for only $40 worth of goods, police said.

According to the police report, Giddens told an officer, “… his uncle had called him and woke him up and told him he would buy him whatever he wanted for Christmas and then took him to Wal-Mart.”

But according to the police report, Giddens made his purchase at Wal-Mart — candy and a DVD for just over $20 — at 2:39 a.m., several minutes after Green made his purchase. The police report said items in Giddens’ shopping cart as he exited the store were worth $1,356.43. Those items were not rung up.

Kansas coach Roy Williams on Friday said he had no comment on the matter.

Giddens’ high school coach, John Martin, also has had no comment.

Giddens

Giddens’ mom did have one thing to say.

“Basically the only thing I can say is J.R. feels bad to have given any bad publicity to KU’s program, the university and coach Roy Williams,” Dianna Giddens said.

“All this is a misunderstanding and it will be cleared up. God gives you the strength to get through anything.”

Dianna Giddens said the family had obtained the services of an attorney.

John Marshall coach Martin has awhile to decide whether to suspend Giddens; the team’s next game is Jan. 7.

Williams also ultimately may have to decide whether to honor Giddens’ signed letter of intent. NCAA rules do allow schools to rescind a letter of intent if a prospective athlete “engages in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty.”

Recruiting analyst Greg Swaim of Oklahoma City, who has known Giddens for more than two years, said Williams will have a tough decision.

“J.R. needs to show a little more intelligence,” Swaim said. “At the very least he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He should not put himself in a position to be there at 3 a.m. If he was part of the planning of this … I hope and pray he was not … he is a very good kid. If he was part of it, he should suffer the penalties.

“This is America. He is innocent until proven guilty. But he showed incredibly poor judgment being out at 3 a.m. He’s got to show more intelligence at that. I would hate to be Roy Williams right now. This is something every coach hopes he will never have to deal with. I do not envy his position.”