GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – Police say a former student at a Greenville high school was arrested in Robeson County for stealing over $22,000 worth of football helmets from J.H. Rose High School.

Greenville police say 45 football helmets were stolen from the school’s athletic facility over the weekend.

Officers say Kyle Hill is behind bars in the Robeson County jail after being arrested in Pembroke Wednesday.

“I was shocked when they showed me a picture of him. I was like, no? Really? That can’t be the kid,” Head football coach Will Bland said.

Hill attended Rose for several years but did not graduate. A school district spokesman says he transferred out of Pitt County before his senior year.

Police say he is a current student at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Pitt County Schools confirms that Hill played on the football team in his sophomore and junior years.

“I really want to know why somebody would do this? Because that could have potentially jeopardized our season, especially since we had a game,” JH Rose football player, Jemar Mcleod said.

At the time of the 24-year-old’s arrest, police say he had two stolen helmets with him. Investigators say they found 26 other helmets at an address in Robeson County.

Bland says their stickers had been removed from the helmets, an obvious sign that Hill was planning to make a profit.

“They went ahead and took all the stickers off all 28 helmets so probably getting ready to sell them,” Bland said.

The Greenville Police Department is charging Hill with commercial breaking/entering and felony larceny.

Officials say he may also be facing charges related to possession of the stolen property in Robeson County.

Greenville police say they worked with the UNC Pembroke Police Department, Pembroke Police Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office in this investigation.