abrnfanatc 6 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 And to think, I was under the impression that Croom was instilling more discipline in Starkville. MSU football players charged in assaultBy BRIAN HAWKINS and TRAVIS DOWNEY Starkville Daily News Five Mississippi State football players each face a felony assault charge in connection with the Saturday night assault of an off-duty Starkville police officer at a downtown party. The five were arrested shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday on individual warrants for simple assault on a police officer. Those arrested include: € Sophomore defensive back Keith A. Fitzhugh, 19, of 10969 Clearwater Drive, Hampton, Ga. € Sophomore defensive back Derek A. Pegues, 19, of Batesville, who lists a local address at 348-B Ruby Hall, MSU. € Sophomore outside linebacker Michael Jerrod Gates, 18, of Fairburn, Ga., who lists a local address at 319-B Ruby Hall, MSU € Sophomore defensive lineman Charles J. Burns, 19, of 516 Hacienda Ave., Hattiesburg. € Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Quinton L. Wesley, 19, of 109 Gault, Apt. D, Atlanta, Ga. All the suspects except Gates were arrested on the MSU campus, while Gates turned himself in to officers at Starkville Police Department headquarters after being contacted by phone that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. All five were booked on bonds of $25,000 apiece and initially transported by officers to the Webster County Jail because the Oktibbeha County Jail was full Sunday night. They were subsequently released on bond late Sunday night, SPD officials said. All are scheduled to make initial appearances before Municipal Court Judge William Eshee at 2 p.m. today. Starkville Police Chief David Lindley on Sunday would not comment on whether the five suspects were MSU football players, but that fact was later confirmed via the university's athletics website. The five are charged in connection with an incident at the Level III facility on Main Street around midnight Saturday, said Starkville Police Chief David Lindley Sunday night. Two sororities were hosting a joint party there, Lindley said. Police Officer Demetric Armstead, who was off-duty Saturday night, was attending the event with his fiancee, who is a member of one of the sororities, Lindley said. An argument between two women attending the party was growing violent, and Armstead attempted to intervene to stop it from escalating, Lindley said. When he did so, the suspects began to assault Armstead, knocking him to the floor and kicking him and striking him with their fists, Lindley said. As the suspects began to assault Armstead, security guards working the party and other witnesses warned them that Armstead was a police officer, and witness statements given to police corroborate that, Lindley said. The suspects involved in assaulting Armstead were reportedly trying to instigate the two women involved in the fight into exchanging blows, and grew upset when he intervened, but Lindley would not comment on that factor Sunday night. The security guards and other party-goers stepped in to break up the incident, and Armstead was able to make his way out of the melee and leave the building with his fiancee so he could call for help. His shirt had been ripped and he had suffered numerous cuts and bruises to his face, head and back, Lindley said. The suspects followed Armstead outside and again attacked him, but fled upon learning that Starkville police officers and Oktibbeha County sheriff's deputies had been called, Lindley said. All the suspects were gone when the officers and deputies arrived just after midnight, Lindley said. Armstead was able to identify all the suspects involved in his assault, and investigating officers were able to corroborate their identities with multiple witnesses to the incident, Lindley said. Lindley and SPD Capt. Chris Thomas both said that additional arrests in the case are pending. Mississippi State Athletic Department officials - including Head Football Coach Sylvester Croom - had been notified about the arrests Sunday night, but a spokesman for the department said officials were still working to learn the details of what transpired and would not comment about what actions might be taken against the football players until learning further information. Mike Nemeth, associate athletic director for media relations, said Croom was “caught off guard†after hearing of the incident and the players' arrest and was going to “wait and see†what legal actions were being taken against the players before implementing disciplinary procedures. "We're aware that something occurred. Right now we are trying to get all the details at this time. At some point in time he will make a decision after the legal process has run it's course ... on what to do," Nemeth said. Nemeth said Sunday night that athletic officials expected to have more information today. Never PO a PO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weaglewagon 1 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 anyone else think it odd that they listed their addresses in the article? hmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrnfanatc 6 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 They have a crack staff there in Stark Vegas. Took their info directly off the arrest wire no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgufcm 4,101 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 starkville daily sucks. half the stuff they initially print will turn out to be untrue. trust me on that, i've lived in starkville for 23 years. as for the fight, apparently this isn't a new thing for this particular cop. i sub at the high school so i couldn't help but ask if any of the kids were at level three that night (high school kids always go to the frat/sorority parties here). a few of them were. they said that cop was off duty and never identified himself as a cop (other people did). they also said this is the third time that same cop has been beaten up at a party (not by msu players each time); so clearly that guy does something to draw a punch. i've been to black frat parties quite a few times and no one has ever jumped me. you gotta earn a beating. i'm not saying those guys didn't do it. i'm just saying none of the folks i know that were there said the cop was trying to break up anything; so that part of the story may very well be bogus. and i don't think this negatively reflects on croom's discipline. if they did it, and he doesn't punish them (or lets them off light) that would be a negative. 20 year olds acting out can't always be stopped. just like at kevin sears getting a dui. tubby couldn't stop that, but we have good discipline. it's not always the coach's fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damabama 15 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 i've lived in starkville for 23 years. sorry to hear that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 i've lived in starkville for 23 years. sorry to hear that 228667[/snapback] Trivia: At woopig, "starkville" is the profanity filter word for "hell". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrnfanatc 6 Posted April 4, 2006 Author Share Posted April 4, 2006 i've lived in starkville for 23 years. sorry to hear that 228667[/snapback] Trivia: At woopig, "starkville" is the profanity filter word for "hell". 228694[/snapback] And aMm is the profanity filter for what??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 i've lived in starkville for 23 years. sorry to hear that 228667[/snapback] Trivia: At woopig, "starkville" is the profanity filter word for "hell". 228694[/snapback] And aMm is the profanity filter for what??? 228746[/snapback] feces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUslug 1 Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hey TM, what does joebob mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigrinum Major Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hey TM, what does joebob mean? 228805[/snapback] Hit. As in, "You know you'd joebob that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUslug 1 Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hey TM, what does joebob mean? 228805[/snapback] Hit. As in, "You know you'd joebob that." 228837[/snapback] Refresh my mind what porkula means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaJay 0 Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hey TM, what does joebob mean? 228805[/snapback] Hit. As in, "You know you'd joebob that." 228837[/snapback] Refresh my mind what porkula means. 228874[/snapback] WooPig Dictionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.