Virginia Tech basketball standout A.D. Vassallo and ex-Hokie Chris Tucker were arrested and charged with shoplifting by Virginia State Police on Thursday in Christiansburg, two days before Vassallo played in the Hokies' win over Columbia.

Athletic director Jim Weaver said Monday that Vassallo was not suspended from playing in the team's two games last weekend because he has not yet seen a police report. Another reason, said Weaver, is that he does not believe the senior forward did anything wrong.

"I don't do anything formally and officially until I see a police report, plus I was told that ... he didn't do anything wrong," Weaver said. "I was told through a second person, an attorney.

"I'm not going to rush out in advance and penalize somebody for something they didn't do. ... A.D., from everything I hear, is not going to be involved."

Vassallo, the Hokies' leading scorer, and Tucker were arrested by Trooper G.A. Syres at 1:54 a.m. Thursday at a Stop-in Food Stores convenience store in Christiansburg, police said.

Both have been charged with petit larceny shoplifting, a misdemeanor involving an item worth less than $200. The item was a 12-pack of Dr Pepper soda, police said. The trooper was in the store at the time of the incident, police said.

Vassallo, an All-ACC second-team pick last season, is averaging a team-high 19.3 points for the Hokies this season. Vassallo and Tucker, a Lord Botetourt graduate who was a senior reserve on the 2006-07 Hokies, are due to appear in Montgomery County General District Court on Feb. 11.

Jimmy Turk, the attorney for Vassallo and Tucker, said Tucker is alleged to have picked up the soda from a display outside the store, with the trooper observing from inside the store and deciding to stop their car. Turk said Vassallo was driving.

"I've talked to the state trooper involved, and the end result [will be] everything's going to turn out fine for both these young men," Turk said.

"It appeared that one took something and one was driving a car. It could be that there may be one that was certainly not as culpable, or not culpable at all.

"Worst-case scenario, there's a statute in Virginia that allows a case like this to be taken under advisement and prevent a conviction, even if there's evidence that one or both was involved. ... I do not expect a finding of guilt or anything adverse."

Coach Seth Greenberg did not start Vassallo in Saturday's win over Columbia in the first round of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Vassallo sat out the first 6:42 of the game. Greenberg had said Saturday that the punishment was for breaking a team rule.

Vassallo played all 40 minutes in Tech's win over St. John's in Sunday's title game, scoring a game-high 24 points.

"We'll let the legal system take its course and obviously deal with it appropriately," Greenberg said Monday.

"I always try to make the decision in the best interest of the program and the kid."

Weaver said he and associate athletic director Tom Gabbard made the decision not to suspend Vassallo last week. He said he told Greenberg to handle it from a "team discipline" standpoint.

"When we get the [police] report, we'll handle it accordingly and do what's right," Weaver said. "I was not going to go and jump to conclusion in terms of A.D. Vassallo when what I deem occurred was nothing by him. He wasn't involved at all.

"That does not mean the case is over or has more to be done. ... A lot of the misdemeanors are relegated to the coaches because they can get the young people's attention easier than I can, but I won't say what I'll do in this case until I see what's happened."