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NEWS
[ Wednesday, March 28, 2001 ]

Police want answers for disturbance
A search for footage of Saturday morning's rowdiness has begun.

Collegian Staff Writer

The 20 people arrested early Saturday morning are scheduled to have their preliminary hearings today, as police continue to search for additional suspects via footage of the disturbance in "Beaver Canyon."

The State College Police Department has four tapes and is asking the public for more so police can find people that may have committed illegal acts, including throwing glass bottles and rocking and damaging cars. Police said eight street pole bases, 12 street signs and numerous broken windows contributed to the disturbance's $2,400 price tag.

Lt. Diane Conrad said police will be viewing the tapes and eventually will post the still photographs from the videos on a Web site. Police also posted photographs on their Web site following the 1998 and 2000 riots, also in Beaver Canyon. Conrad said the ability to identify more people committing illegal acts may lead to more arrests, which would be dependant upon collaborating evidence.

Conrad said, however, that while many students came equipped with camcorders, their focus was probably directed more toward police behavior than on the action of revelers.

"For some reason, this is the focus. . .people are trying to shift responsibility from those causing the riot to police," Conrad said.

Although police are still searching for more revelers, the 20 people already arrested will face a variety of charges today in the Centre County Courthouse.

Most of the 20 people charged are facing allegations including failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Others, however, face charges that stem from accusations of assault and harassment of police.

Penn State student Nicholas Baker, 20, is charged with aggravated assault, harassment, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. According to police documents, after Baker was ordered to leave the area and was pushed along Beaver Avenue by an officer, Baker punched the officer with a closed fist in the center of his chest.

Police said that, while being processed, Baker apologized for the assault.

Boalsburg resident Mark S. Long is charged with two counts of harassment, two counts of disorderly conduct, aggravated assault, public drunkenness and failure to disperse.

Police said Long, 26, was sprayed with pepper spray after charging an officer on Beaver Avenue. After his arrest, Long began to shout a stream of obscenities while in custody, police said. According to police documents, police moved Long to a separate room because of his continual yelling. Long attempted to leave the room in which he was being held until an officer forcefully pushed Long back inside the room.

As Long was placed back into a chair, he forcefully rammed his forehead into the head of an officer while screaming obscenities, police said.

Penn State student Andrew Sedler, 22, was charged with three counts each of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and recklessly endangering another person.

CORRECTION: When originally published, this article incorrectly reported details of accusations against Andrew Sedler.

Police said Sedler threw a bottle.

Conrad said many of the officers on the scene were injured by thrown beer bottles, while at least six others suffered from hyper-extended knees or sprained ankles. The Penn State police officer who was head-butted sustained a broken nose and other injuries to the head that Conrad would not elaborate on.

An A.W. & Sons security guard at Penn Tower, 255 E. Beaver Ave., was also injured when he was hit in the head and sprayed with his own pepper spray, police said.

The most serious reported injury sustained by a spectator that was reported to police was a woman who was struck in the head. Police said the woman's injury required stitches.

Conrad said the use of pepper spray was the chief complaint of people calling the State College Police Department.

She said the department received about 20 calls, and many callers complained they did not deserve getting sprayed.

"People were not sprayed for not doing anything," Conrad said. "Dispersal orders were given, and if you didn't leave, you were in violation of the law."

Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar said that he hopes to have all the revelers bound over for trial and will ask for appropriate jail time or probation, depending on the crime and whether or not the suspect is found guilty.

Bill Mahon, spokesman for Penn State, said students who have been arrested have not been suspended from attending classes. Mahon said, however, the information has not yet been processed through the Office of Judicial Affairs. Mahon added that in past cases that involved disturbances, students were suspended.

 

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Updated: Friday, March 30, 2001  12:58:19 AM  -4
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Created: Wednesday, May 07, 2008  6:33:31 PM  -4