Former Manatee High football star Johnnie Lang will serve jail time for burglaries

BRADENTON -- A former Manatee High School football player entered into a plea agreement Thursday and will serve jail time for involvement in burglaries at two Bradenton homes.

Johnnie Lang, 18, a former Manatee High star running back, was charged with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.

Lang, along with former teammates, Kwanzi Jackson, a 16-year-old former defensive end; and Malik Mitchell, an 18-year-old former defensive back, was arrested in March in connection with burglaries in the 5000 block and 5700 block of 52nd Avenue West in the Glenn Lakes neighborhood.

On Thursday morning, Lang changed his plea to no contest before Circuit Judge Deno Economou and entered into an agreement that will include serving 90 days of jail time next summer followed by five years probation.

Assistant State Attorney Joanna Piscitello said Lang will be formally sentenced Dec. 11 as a youthful offender but will not be convicted.

Lang will be required to surrender June 6. If he fails, Lang could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison.

Terms of his plea agreement also include writing letters of apology to the burglary victims, completing 150 hours of community service, obtaining his high school diploma, testifying truthfully against Mitchell and paying court costs.

Lang was also required to pay about $4,500 in restitution to the victims, which he did Thursday, according to Piscitello.

Many factors went into determining agreement terms, she added.

The principal at the high school in Utah where Lang is now enrolled was in contact with the State Attorney's Office and said he had not had any behavioral issues and was doing well academically.

"The victims were aware of the agreement and they did not wish him to go to prison," Piscitello said.

Lang also has a job and took summer classes to catch up with school missed as a result of his arrest, she added.

A call to Lang's defense attorney was not returned before deadline.

As a junior in 2014, Lang put together one of the best seasons in Manatee County football history, rushing for 2,116 yards and 32 touchdowns in leading the Canes to a 12-2 record and berth in the Class 8A state semifinal where they lost to eventual state champion Apopka.

Lang scored at least three times in six of Manatee's 14 games and rushed for 200-plus yards in three games. For his career at Manatee, Lang rushed for 3,105 yards.

Lang verbally committed to West Virginia last March, calling it his dream school, and reportedly had offers from Florida State, Arizona, Kentucky and Temple.

Colleges are not allowed to comment on recruits until they sign a letter of intent -- the next signing period is in February -- and it is uncertain if the offer from West Virginia still stands.

With four starting offensive linemen returning to Manatee, Lang was hoping to have a big senior year and needed 1,347 yards to surpass the Manatee County rushing record of 4,451 yards held by former Manatee High running back Shevin Wiggins.

Mitchell's case is scheduled to go to trial during the two-week trial period beginning Feb. 8. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of burglary of unoccupied dwelling.

Since his initial burglary arrest, Mitchell was arrested again July 2 and is facing a charge of attempted burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. Detectives say he attempted to enter into the enclosed patio of a home in the 2600 block of 49th Street West in Bradenton and pry open a door.

Burglary charges against Jackson, who has withdrawn from Manatee High School, were dismissed after he successfully completed a diversion program mandated by a juvenile court judge.

Herald sports writer Alan Dell contributed to this story.

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter@JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Former Manatee High football star Johnnie Lang will serve jail time for burglaries ."