12 more face charges in UMass football riot
BY Kristin Palpini
Staff Writer
Published on February 16, 2007
The University of Massachusetts filed criminal charges Wednesday against 12 additional students for allegedly participating in a December campus riot - and still more may be charged.
The students face charges that include rioting, failure to disperse and disorderly conduct.
To date, UMass has charged 23 people, 22 of them students, with taking part in a riot that erupted on Dec. 15, minutes after Appalachian State defeated the UMass Minutemen in the NCAA Division I Football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Earlier this month, university officials said 70 UMass students were being investigated for their participation in the December melee.
UMass Police Deputy Chief Patrick T. Archbald said he anticipates more students will be charged in connection with the riot.
'This is not at all over,' Archbald said. 'There is more work to be done, and we're going to continue to work with the district attorney's office in building these cases.'
The riot involved 2,000 people and resulted in $100,000 in property damage in the Southwest residence hall plaza. The night was marked by fires, looting, destruction of property and physical assaults. Flattened trash cans, chunks of concrete and full beer cans were thrown at UMass, state and Amherst police officers, who wore full riot gear. Police arrested 11 people that night, 10 of whom were students.
Show-cause hearings
On Wednesday, UMass police filed for show-cause hearings against 12 students in Eastern Hampshire District Court. Within the next three weeks or so, the students will come before a court magistrate. That official will decide whether there is enough evidence against individual students to go ahead with an arraignment and press formal charges.
The names of people called to show-cause hearings are not made public.
Evidence against students who have been charged or otherwise punished by the criminal system and/or the university has come from UMass police and the Northwestern district attorney's office.
Archbald said UMass police have interviewed more than 100 students as part of their investigation into the riot. Police have also reviewed residence hall entryway video, video and photos from student cell phones, video from cameras mounted on the exteriors of buildings, cell phone records, residence hall swipe-card records, state Registry of Motor Vehicle documents and written statements from witnesses in their investigations.
'We've been busy,' Archbald said.
Meanwhile, the UMass dean of students office has proceeded with disciplining students connected to the riot. So far, 55 cases have been completed. Five students have been expelled, 28 have been suspended and 22 have received deferred suspensions. Also, eight students have been removed from university housing as part of their punishment. Additional cases are still being reviewed.
'The vast majority of UMass Amherst students do not participate in this type of activity,' said Edward F. Blaguszewski, director of news and information, in a statement. While about 2,000 people participated in the riot, UMass has an enrollment of over 25,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
'We want to thank the many students who came forward to help our police identify those who were involved,' Blaguszewski said.
UMass police are still seeking help in identifying people who took part in the riot. Pictures of suspected riot participants are posted on the UMass police Web site, www.umass.edu/umpd.
