The Centre County District Attorney's Office will meet this week to decide if more football players will be charged in connection with an Oct. 7 altercation in the HUB-Robeson Center, on the heels of a motion to revoke bail for a player already charged in the incident.
Witnesses said as many as 15 football players were involved in the incident. During the course of their investigation, Penn State Police attempted to contact 18 players who had been mentioned as being present at the HUB during the fight, court documents show.
However, just two players have been charged with felonies: defensive tackle Chris Baker and linebacker Navorro Bowman. Baker and Bowman are charged with aggravated assault, in addition to the misdemeanor counts of simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.
Defensive back Knowledge Timmons was also charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and defiant trespass for overturning furniture while looking for his iPhone after the fight.
"Unfortunately, this is the type of case where everybody responsible is not going to be identified," Centre County Assistant District Attorney Steve Sloane said.
The District Attorney's Office filed a motion Friday asking the court to revoke bail for Baker, who faces three felony and several misdemeanor and summary charges in connection with the incident at the HUB and an April fight at a downtown apartment complex.
"The defendant's continued unwillingness or inability to avoid violent criminal assaults with multiple assailants upon complete strangers while out on bail demonstrates that ... the defendant has violated the conditions of his bail bond," Sloane wrote in the motion.
Baker was charged in April with criminal trespass, simple assault, harassment and burglary in connection with a fight at the Meridian Apartment complex, 646 E. College Ave. While out on bail for the charges from the April incident, Baker was charged in connection with the Oct. 7 fight at the HUB. A condition of his bail was that he refrain from criminal activity, according to court documents.
Sloane had mentioned the possibility of revoking Baker's bail when he was charged with aggravated assault in mid-November.
"We're not concerned he's a flight risk," Sloane told The Daily Collegian on Nov. 16. "However, the risk to the community is a concern ... Lightning doesn't strike twice, usually."
Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said the similarities between the April and October incidents were a factor in the office's decision to file for a revocation of bail.
"Since the charges are very similar to the charges from the case back in April, I think it's appropriate to formally bring it to the court's attention," he said.
Baker's attorney, Karen Muir, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Madeira said it is up to the court to decide what to do with the motion. Penalties could include setting new bail conditions or a new bail figure, jailing Baker or "giving him a stern lecture," Madeira said. "I really have no idea what they'll do."
A hearing for the matter had not yet been set as of yesterday.
