258 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/26/08 7:40pm)
Adjunct Law Professor Rory O’Bryan entered his Real Estate Finance class at 4:30 p.m. Monday like he does every week. The only difference this Monday was that he wasn’t lecturing to a full class.\nIU law student Jesse M. Sneed, described by O’Bryan as an active participant in class, was arrested Oct. 16 after he fired an assault rifle several times from his balcony on the west side of town.\nA brownish textbook with gold letters spelling “Real Estate Transfers, Finance and Development,” cluttered the students’ desks. Police found the same textbook with two bullet holes under Sneed’s balcony.\nReturning from their fall break, about 20 students sat patiently in their chairs as O’Bryan began the lecture. But O’Bryan didn’t dive right into the lecture. Instead, he informed the class of Sneed’s arrest and asked the rest of the students if anything happened in class that might trigger Sneed’s behavior. The students said nothing.
(01/25/08 5:54am)
IU announced Wednesday that the Beta Iota chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity will be closed for two years after the University discovered the fraternity violated a hazing policy.\nDean of Students Dick McKaig announced the fraternity’s expulsion from campus, which cannot be appealed, after consulting the national headquarters of Alpha Epsilon Pi, alumni and student officers from the group. McKaig said he spoke to several undergraduate members of the fraternity, who admitted to hazing but claimed the individuals involved have since moved out of the house.\n“They believed the chapter would be allowed to continue if these activities never happened again,” McKaig said.\nThe Campus Student Organization Ethics Board conducted a hearing in November and made a recommendation to McKaig, according to an IU press release. The board found the chapter in violation of the Student Organization Code which prohibits hazing. The code defines hazing as “any conduct that subjects another person, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or psychologically, to anything that may endanger, abuse, degrade or intimidate the person as a condition of association with a group or organization, regardless of the person’s consent or lack of consent.”\nMcKaig said some of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s hazing consisted of sleep deprivation, late night activities, “fighting fear” by intentionally scaring pledges and leading members to remote areas and making them walk back to campus. McKaig said because hazing is “an underground illegal activity,” it’s difficult to know what is going on and where it’s happening.\nMax Newman, Judaic chair of Alpha Epsilon Pi, said because his four brothers went to IU and were brothers in Alpha Epsilon Pi, that’s all he’s known.\n“Now I’m a brother and it has been taken away from me,” he said. “It’s something I’ve looked forward to since I was 3 years old.”\nWhen asked if the hazing allegations were true, Newman replied, “What is hazing?” Newman explained that because the definition of hazing is broad, it’s hard to know exactly what it encompasses. \nNewman said there was a period of time at Alpha Epsilon Pi when things were bad in terms of hazing, and now the University is punishing members who had nothing to do with it.\n“There’s a big gray area with hazing and it’s been used against us,” he said.\nAccording to a written statement by Alpha Epsilon Pi, the University brought these allegations to the attention of the fraternity in October 2007, including incidents dating back several years. The fraternity’s student executives instituted a new judicial board with the purpose of establishing procedures to address and enforce chapter rules related to these infractions.\nAfter discussing possible solutions with the Alpha Epsilon Pi National Organization and Beta Iota chapter alumni, they decided to implement new guidelines to ensure future compliance with all University standards.\nAs a result of the infractions against the fraternity, the Beta Iota chapter suspended 29 members who were involved.\nWith the negative spotlight on Alpha Epsilon Pi, the fraternity members said they hope they can continue to strengthen the organization’s infrastructure, and they look forward to the fraternity becoming a valuable member of the IU campus, according to the fraternity’s statement.\n“I look forward to working with Dean McKaig in the future with regards to Greek cases such as these,” said Maxwell Greengrass, president of the Beta Iota chapter. Greengrass declined to comment further.\nThe members of the fraternity, located at 1412 N. Jordan Ave., will be allowed to stay on campus until the end of the academic year, provided no reports of violence or negative activity are brought to the University’s attention, McKaig said.\nThe expulsion takes effect immediately, and the University no longer recognizes the chapter as a campus organization, McKaig said in a press release. The members will not be permitted to participate in University-sponsored activities, such as Little 500, under the name Alpha Epsilon Pi.\nThe chapter will remain closed until 2010.
(01/10/08 5:14am)
Hauling his belongings more than 2,000 miles from Calabasas, Calif., freshman Paul Testa didn’t know if he would find his place in the Midwest. But with the help of the University’s newly re-founded Delta Chi fraternity, Testa had no problem fitting in at IU.\n“The other members are a great group of guys and they’ve really made IU seem smaller to me,” Testa said.\nDuring the spring of 2007, current junior James Troeger and five others contacted the Delta Chi national chapter, as well as several other fraternity organizations. Delta Chi was interested in coming back to campus, \nTroeger said.\n“We basically went from there,” he said. “We made sure IU was welcoming.”\nAfter a five-year absence at IU, the Delta Chi colony officially returned during the Fall 2007 semester, said junior Aaron Blitz, Delta Chi’s public relations chairman. With 41 founding fathers on campus, the colony is actively recruiting \nmembers. \nLast semester, Delta Chi participated with sorority Zeta Tau Alpha’s annual event, “Big Man On Campus,” and the colony hope to get involved in several different spring philanthropic events, Blitz said. The colony’s main goal last semester was to get its name out into the community.\nDespite not being an official fraternity, the brothers of Delta Chi have become actively involved with the IU and Bloomington communities with several philanthropy events, Blitz said.\nCurrently, Delta Chi is fundraising to secure land on campus for its house, Blitz said. By the end of April, Troeger hopes to submit the fraternity charter to IU and solidify their place on campus. While the brothers wait for a house on campus,\nthey utilize the Indiana Memorial Union for their chapter meetings, Blitz said.\nAlthough Delta Chi is still relatively new, the colony has big plans for the spring semester. Troeger said the colony will be working with the animal shelter and soup kitchen, while focusing more on community service, than fundraising for themselves.\nEven though Testa didn’t initially know what he wanted to do, he gradually got to know the members of Delta Chi and said he thinks that with the overall attitude the members have, the colony is going to expand and accomplish great things.\n“The best part is that I feel like I’m part of something big,” he said.
(12/06/07 2:03am)
The Monroe County man accused of murdering two men is scheduled to have another pretrial hearing in mid-January.\nJerry E. Pelfree, 51, was arrested Sept. 14 after authorities stormed his residence and found the remains of two men in 55- and 35-gallon steel drums. Authorities later identified the remains as Everett L. Shaw and Douglas A. Brown.\nAccording to the Monroe County Circuit Court, Judge Marc Kellems entered Pelfree into a preliminary plea of not guilty in mid-September. Pelfree had his first pretrial hearing in mid-November but another was scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 17.\nLocal attorney Ron Chapman will be representing Pelfree. \nAfter the Brown County Sheriff’s Department received a tip from Monroe County Jail inmate Troy D. Harden, authorities searched Pelfree’s home in the 6000 block of West Ison Road and arrested him on murder charges. Police believe the events surrounding their deaths stemmed from a dispute regarding a stolen all-terrain vehicle. Harden was present at the time of the murders, according to the probable cause affidavit.\nAfter the investigation, authorities concluded that Pelfree shot both men with a .22 caliber rifle and then used a sledge hammer to break the bodies so they would fit into the steel drums, according to the affidavit.\nShaw and Harden were reported missing earlier in the year. \nMonroe County Sheriff Jim Kennedy said he didn’t know if anybody else would be charged in connection to this case. He said if anyone else was charged, it would not happen until after the trial begins.\nPelfree is being held without bond at the Monroe County Jail.
(12/06/07 2:02am)
Two Bloomington residents were arrested Friday afternoon after their newborn baby sustained a skull fracture in mid-November.\nMystica Tapp, 19, and Anthony Helmes, 22, were arrested after an on-going investigation by the Bloomington Police Department. Each face preliminary charges of neglect of a dependant resulting in injury.\nBoth parents admitted to officers that they were high on marijuana at the time of the accident, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nOn Nov. 20, Tapp and Helmes took their 11-day-old baby to the hospital after the baby fell off the bed, Canada said. After examining the baby, who suffered a skull fracture, the Bloomington Hospital contacted Child Protective Services and BPD for further investigation.\nDuring the investigation, Det. Richard Crussen learned that during the night, the baby began crying and Tapp placed the infant on a pillow at the edge of the bed, Canada said. The baby rolled off the bed and hit the floor, resulting in the skull fracture.\nTapp and Helmes both woke up later in the night after the baby started crying again, so the pair took the child to the hospital, Canada said. \nAfter learning the baby received a skull fracture, Crussen contacted the prosecutor’s office and was able to get a probable cause for Tapp and Helmes’ arrest warrant.\nTapp and Helmes were both served with a warrant Friday afternoon at their house in the 2300 block of Winslow Court, Canada said.\nMonroe County Circuit Court Judge David Welch has ordered the baby into foster care until officials can find a safe place for the baby to live. \nBoth Tapp and Helmes were transported to the Monroe County Jail.
(12/03/07 3:52am)
Two Bloomington bars were cited Thursday evening and early Friday morning for allowing minors to loiter, resulting in 14 people receiving summonses from Indiana State Excise officers.\nBluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St., was cited for four counts of allowing minors to loiter, according to an Indiana State Excise press release. Seven minors received summonses for entering a tavern underage during the Hanson concert Thursday evening at the Bluebird. Three others were charged with possession of false identification and illegal consumption of alcoholic beverages, according to the release.\nKilroy’s Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., was also cited for two counts of allowing minors to loiter. Seven minors received preliminary charges of illegal consumption, minor in a tavern and possession of false identification, according to the release. One person was incarcerated on suspicion of false informing, illegal consumption and public intoxication.\nExcise officer Travis Thickstun said in the release that excise officers will continue to have a significant presence in Bloomington through finals week at IU.\n“Most semesters in past years have tended to see a gradual reduction in arrests and tickets toward to end of the term,” Thickstun said in the release. “While activity typically spikes early in the semester and slowly decreases, this year has seen steady numbers of arrests and tickets.”
(11/30/07 7:05pm)
Two Bloomington bars were cited Thursday evening and early Friday morning for allowing minors to loiter, resulting in 14 people receiving summonses from Indiana State Excise officers.\nBluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St., was cited for four counts of allowing minors to loiter, according to an Indiana State Excise press release. Seven minors received summonses for entering a tavern underage, during the Hanson concert Thursday evening at the Bluebird. Three others were charged with possession of false identification and illegal consumption of alcoholic beverages, according to the release.\nKilroy’s Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., was also cited for two counts of allowing minors to loiter. Seven minors were charged with illegal consumption, minor in a tavern, and possession of false identification, according to the release. One person was incarcerated for false informing, illegal consumption and public intoxication.\nExcise officer Travis Thickstun said in the release that excise officers will continue to have a significant presence in Bloomington through finals week at IU.\n“Most semesters in past years have tended to see a gradual reduction in arrests and tickets toward to end of the term,” Thickstun said in the release. “While activity typically spikes early in the semester and slowly decreases, this year has seen steady numbers of arrests and tickets.”
(11/30/07 5:23pm)
A Bloomington resident was arrested Wednesday afternoon after police said he attempted to purchase about $780 worth of electronics with counterfeit bills at the College Mall.\nAnthony M. Burns, 22, faces preliminary charges of counterfeiting and possession of a handgun without a permit.\nThe Bloomington Police Department was dispatched Wednesday afternoon to the Game Stop shop at the College Mall in reference to a man using counterfeit bills, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report. \nBPD officers Paul Post and Monica Zahasky learned that Burns attempted to buy a Sony Playstation 3, four video games and some cables, Canada said. An employee at the store recognized the counterfeit bills and Burns was detained by mall security before BPD arrived.\nBurns was brought back to BPD headquarters for questioning, where he said he received the money from somebody else, Canada said. After Post patted Burns down, officers located a black and silver .9 mm handgun on his waist. Burns did not have a license to carry the gun, Canada said.\nIn total, Burns had $820 in counterfeit $20 bills.\nBurns told officers he realized the money was fake and then bought the weapon for protection, Canada said. Burns would not disclose where he bought the handgun.\nBurns was arrested and transported to the Monroe County Jail.
(11/29/07 3:27am)
Police arrested an IU senior early Wednesday morning after he illegally entered a Bloomington residence.\nAdam F. Browne, 22, faces preliminary charges of residential entry. The Bloomington Police Department was dispatched to the 400 block of East Smith Avenue at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in reference to a residential entry, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nOfficers arrived at the scene to find Browne on the front lawn of the residence holding a broom in his hand, Canada said. The house residents said Browne was clearly intoxicated. \nAfter arriving at the scene, BPD officers Don Pence and Ethan Haley learned that Browne entered the residence and made noise. Two of the residents of the house woke up and found Browne in the kitchen making a mess, Canada said. Browne told the residents that he was in his own house.\nAfter getting into an argument with Browne, one of the residents dialed 911 while the other attempted to stall Browne until police arrived by telling him he made a mess in the kitchen and needed to clean it up, Canada said. Browne then left the house holding the residents’ broom.\nPolice arrested Browne and transported him to the Monroe County Jail.
(11/27/07 6:45am)
IU sophomore Paul Gardner does not know who etched the word “fag” into his Wright Quad dorm room door last fall. Even if he did, there’s no legal action Gardner could take to prosecute the offender for a hate crime due to Indiana’s current lack of hate crime legislation. \nDespite efforts earlier this year by Indiana legislators to pass a “bias crime bill,” Indiana remains one of only five states in the nation without hate crime laws. That is something Indiana State Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, is still committed to changing. \nWith recent heightened racial tensions both locally and nationally caused by several incidents, including a noose found hanging at Indiana State University, several homeless beatings in northern Indiana and the now notorious “Jena 6” controversy, Porter said Indiana needs to address hate crime issues.\nIn February, Porter authored the original legislation that would have punished someone who committed the offense if they knowingly selected the victim because of their “color, creed, disability, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex,” according to the bill’s text. \nRepublicans, led by Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Lakeville, shot down that bill, but Porter told the Indiana Daily Student on Monday that he planned to reintroduce a version of the hate crime bill in December for the legislature’s upcoming session. Walorski had added a anti-abortion amendment to the first bill along with an amendment that made killing police officers a hate crime. Controversy surrounding those additions eventually killed the legislation, Walorski said. \nWhile the only change to Porter’s soon-to-be introduced bill will be to now include the attacking of homeless people as a hate crime, he said recent events occurring around the nation will help fuel the legislation’s success. \nFirst Amendment advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana oppose such legislation because they claim it restricts free speech, but Porter said he will continue to push the legislation forward\n“(Indiana is) one of five states without a hate crime legislation, so the 45 other states are wrong?” Porter questioned.
(11/26/07 4:25am)
Gwyn Richards, dean of the Jacobs School of Music, said the loss this week of George J. Gaber will have a profound effect on the school. \n“The alumni owe so much to him for the career they now enjoy,” Richards said. “He’s going to be dearly missed.” \nGaber, 91, renowned percussionist and professor emeritus, died Wednesday at Bloomington’s Meadowood Health Pavilion. \nGaber taught music at Hofstra University and Columbia University but moved to Bloomington in 1960 to help develop the percussion department at IU, according to the IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors Web site. \nThrough Gaber’s strong love of percussion, he helped develop the percussion ensemble from a novelty to an effective educational tool and serious art form, according to the Web site. \nJohn Tafoya, percussion professor at the Jacobs School of Music, studied with Gaber in the mid-1980s and said there were so many different things that made Gaber special as a professor and a musician. Tafoya said Gaber not only taught his students how to play but gave his perspective on life.\n“He was a bit of a philosopher,” Tafoya said. “We were able to look at things in a greater level, instead of here’s the answer and here’s how to play it.” \nBefore coming to IU, Gaber was a professional musician, playing everything from symphonic, jazz, ballet, opera, TV and film songs. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the NBC, ABC and CBS orchestras, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony, according to the IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors Web site. \nWhile performing with the orchestras, Gaber worked with several composers, such as Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky and Lukas Foss. \nAs the reputation of IU percussion grew, Gaber lectured and performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Asia, according to the Web site. Gaber visited Mt. Athos, Greece, to study the unique uses of percussion in the religious rituals of the Greek Orthodox Church. \nRichards said Gaber’s background and profession has won him numerous awards, most recently the Lifetime Achievement Award Certificate and Gift from the Sabian Company at the Percussion Arts Society convention in Nashville, Tenn. \n“Beyond all the personal relationships, the professional part of our field will miss him very much,” Richards said. \nAlthough Gaber retired in 1986, Richards said he stayed in touch with the music school on a daily basis. He said because Gaber lived in Bloomington, he was engaged with the current students of the music school. \n“We had lunch on a number of occasions,” Richards said. “We had thoughts about the direction (the music school) was going. He would be happy to share his thoughts.” \nTafoya said he kept in touch with Gaber after he retired and most recently ran into him in September at the Musical Arts Center. He said they had made plans to get together at the end of the semester but Gaber was hospitalized at the end of October. \n“I gave him a call and he was in good spirits,” Tafoya said. “We talked about the percussion departments and he was very pleased that I was going to continue teaching at the IU music school.” \nAlthough Gaber passed away, Tafoya said Gaber’s legacy will leave a lasting impression with the School of Music. \n“George had an addition to his regular family,” Tafoya said. “He had the IU School of Music, the students were really his second family. It’s quite a testament of what he’s done over the last several decades.”
(11/19/07 1:52am)
A 27-year-old Illinois man died on Nov. 16 morning after Indiana police pulled him over for a speeding violation and he collapsed on the highway.\nCharles L. Fontleroy of Danville, Ill., died at a Danville hospital, according to an Indiana State Police press release. The cause of death has not yet been released.\nAn Indiana state trooper stopped a blue 1984 Chevrolet for speeding on State Road 28 in Warren County at about 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 16. The trooper had returned to his car when the man exited his vehicle and collapsed on the highway, according to the press release.\nThe trooper and an off-duty emergency medical technician performed first aid on the man until an ambulance arrived and took him to Provena United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, Ill. Fontleroy died at the hospital at about 9:10 a.m., according to the press release.\nResults of an autopsy have not yet been released, according to the press release.
(11/16/07 11:06pm)
A man died Friday morning after police pulled him over for a speeding violation and he collapsed on the highway.\nThe name of the deceased will not be released until the family has been notified, according to an Indiana State Police press release.\nAn Indiana state trooper stopped a blue 1984 Chevrolet for speeding on State Road 28 in Warren County at about 8:15 a.m. Friday. The trooper had returned to his car when the man exited his vehicle and collapsed on the highway, according to the press release.\nThe trooper and an off-duty emergency medical technician performed first aid on the man until an ambulance arrived and took the man to Provena United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, Ill. The man died at the hospital at about 9:10 a.m. Friday, according to the press release.\nAn autopsy will be performed either Friday or Saturday to identify the cause of death, according to the press release.\nIndiana and Illinois police and the Vermillion County Illinois Coroner’s Office are still investigating the incident.
(11/16/07 4:49am)
IU graduate student adviser Gretchen Clearwater will challenge incumbent Democrat Baron Hill for Indiana’s 9th District congressional seat, she announced Thursday.\n“I’m primarily running to end the war in Iraq,” Clearwater said in an interview. “It’s an immoral war, and it’s also impacting the 9th District.”\nClearwater, who ran against Hill for the congressional nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, said she filed her candidacy to run in September. She will have to defeat Hill in the May 6, 2008, Democratic primary to win the party’s nomination. \nEnding the war in Iraq, she said, is one of the biggest issues of her campaign. According to an issue statement released by Clearwater, she believes Congress needs to send a clear message to President Bush that the American people should decide whether or not the United States should go to war.\nKatie Moreau, a campaign spokeswoman for Hill, said Hill signed a bill Wednesday night, House Resolution 456, which provides funding mostly for withdrawing troops from Iraq. \n“(Hill) is sending a pretty loud and clear message that the direction (of the war) needs to change and our troops need to come home,” Moreau said. \nClearwater said protecting civil liberties and civil rights and ensuring affordable and quality education are also on her campaign to-do list.\nShe said she plans on taking what she learned from her last campaign and using it to get ahead.\n“It takes a lot to run a grassroots campaign,” she said. “We’re going to get more people then we did last time. We’re going to knock on twice as many doors.”\nClearwater, an IU alumna and current adviser for grad students in the IU Department of Biology, said she’s been in politics nearly all of her life. After working with the Communication Workers of America, she co-founded the Indiana Delegation to Israel and Palestine, a fact-finding mission to meet with leaders dedicated to the cause of peace.\nClearwater was alarmed by the 2000 election, she said, so afterwards she decided to co-found the Bloomington chapter of Common Bonds, an organization dedicated to the promotion of democracy through voter registration. She also co-founded the Committee for Preservation of Democracy, an organization that promoted voting rights and election reform. \n“I’ve learned a great deal since the last time I ran,” she said. “Many residents represent the same views as me, and the 9th District is a district worth representing.”\n-City & State editor Kasey Hawrysz contributed to this report.
(11/16/07 4:23am)
The Bloomington Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred Thursday morning.\nA 41-year-old man told BPD that he was awoken in his trailer in the 1600 block of Gray Street by the sound of tables and cans in his home being knocked over, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nThe victim told police that when he went to see who was in his trailer, he saw three men, one with a handgun, Canada said. One of the suspects approached the victim with the gun before leaving with a lock box containing an undisclosed amount of money.\nThe victim described the suspect with the gun as a white male in his early 20s, 5-foot-10-inches tall, with short, dark hair and a medium build. He was wearing a dark coat and blue jeans.\nBPD is asking anyone with information to call 399-4477.
(11/15/07 9:59pm)
The Bloomington Police Department is currently investigating an armed robbery that occurred Thursday morning.\nA 41-year-old man told BPD that he was awoken in his trailer in the 1600 block of Gray Street by the sound of tables and cans in his home being knocked over, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nThe victim told police that when he went to see who was in his trailer, he saw three men, one with a handgun, Canada said. One of the suspects approached the victim with the gun before leaving with a lock box containing an undisclosed amount of money.\nThe victim described the suspect with the gun as a white male in his early 20s, 5-feet-10-inches tall, with short, dark hair and a medium build. He was wearing a dark coat and blue jeans.\nAnyone with information is asked to call BPD at 339-4477.
(11/14/07 4:01am)
The Bloomington Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred Tuesday morning at the Speedway convenience store, 3021 E. Third St.\nBPD received a call at about 4:20 a.m. Tuesday from a Speedway convenience store clerk saying he had been robbed, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nWhen officers arrived, they learned that an unknown man, who acted like he had a weapon, approached the store clerk, shoved him away and told him to empty the cash register, Canada said. The store clerk told officers no weapons were displayed.\nThe suspect is described as 6-feet tall with a thin build and wearing a baggy black and red flannel coat with a gray hoodie underneath, black gloves and a black mask, Canada said. The store clerk was unable to identify the suspect’s race.\nThe suspect was last seen running west toward Pete Ellis Drive. BPD has obtained a video from the convenience store and is reviewing it for further evidence, Canada said.
(11/13/07 10:50pm)
The Bloomington Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred Tuesday morning when a man stole money from the Speedway convenience store, 3021 E. Third St..\nBPD received a call at about 4:20 a.m. Tuesday in response to the Speedway convenience store clerk alleging he had been robbed, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nWhen officers arrived they learned that an unknown man, who acted like he had a weapon, approached the store clerk, shoved him away and told him to empty the cash register, Canada said. The store clerk told officers no weapons were displayed.\nThe suspect is described as 6-feet with a thin build and wearing a baggy black and red flannel coat with a gray hoodie underneath, black gloves and a black mask, Canada said. The store clerk was unable to identify the suspect’s race.\nThe suspect was last seen running west toward Pete Ellis Drive. BPD has obtained a video from the convenience store and is reviewing it for further evidence, Canada said.
(11/13/07 6:25am)
Police reports and e-mail conversations between IU senior Scott Gray, the IU Student Ethics Committee and IU Dean of Students Dick McKaig shed more light onto the reason Gray is suing six former IU students and one current student for an alleged racially motivated attacks.\nGray alleges that the men assaulted him and made anti-Semitic comments toward him in February 2006. It wasn’t until a second altercation in May 2006 with the defendants that Gray decided to take action. The e-mails with McKaig and the ethics committee revealed that defendant Brian Pennington was found guilty of an ethics violation at IU. Gray was also accused of an ethics violation, but that was later dismissed.\nIn May 2006, Gray was arrested on preliminary charges of battery after he got into the second altercation with former students Pennington, Ross Parker, Patrick Vallely, James Teets, Dane Pinter and Norm McOlsen III. Gray said the allegations were falsely reported. \nThe second altercation occurred at Kilroy’s Bar and Grill on Kirkwood Avenue in late May, according to the police report. Bloomington Police Department Officer Scott Myers was dispatched to Kilroy’s in response to reports of a man, Parker, being struck in the head with a beer bottle.\nWhen Myers arrived, he found Parker bleeding from the left side of his head. Parker’s T-shirt was blood-soaked, according to the police report. Gray fled the scene and could not be located that night, police said.\nPennington said in his witness statement that there were prior circumstances involving himself and Gray, including Pennington and his friends being accused of not liking the Jewish community. Pennington said in his statement the allegation that he and the other defendants made anti-Semitic remarks to Gray were not true because he has friends who are Jewish.\nIn Parker’s witness statement, he alleges that he did not know who hit him in the head with a beer bottle. He said after he fell to the ground, Gray punched him several times.\nPennington described Gray as the suspect, and added that Gray “definitely looks like he is Jewish.” Pennington also wrote in his statement that “Gray is always trying to start fights with (Pennington’s) friends and then turning the argument into a lawsuit.”\nGray alleges that he never hit Parker in the head with the beer bottle, instead claiming defendant Vallely did. Vallely was treated for lacerations to his thumb that night, according to the police reports.\nThe surveillance tape from Kilroy’s shows one man hitting another with a beer bottle, but it is impossible to tell who struck Parker.\nFive days after the altercation at Kilroy’s, Parker e-mailed McKaig to report an ethics violation against Gray. Parker attached a copy of his signed police statement in the e-mail.\nMcKaig e-mailed Parker back and told him he forwarded his request to the Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs. McKaig told Parker he had the option of filing judicial charges against Gray.\nIn July, Gray received a notification from Timothy Bagwell, a judicial officer, informing Gray he had committed an ethics violation.\nIn August, Gray filed a counter-ethics violation against all of the defendants for hate crimes, sexual and racial harassment, anti-Semitic attacks and slurs and violent assault. In an e-mail addressed to McKaig and Bagwell, Gray said he was tired of being a victim and wanted to ensure harassment against him would stop.\nDuring the student trial, the ethics committee found Pennington guilty of an ethics violation. He was suspended for one full academic year, according to the lawsuit. Pennington was the only one of the defendants found guilty by the ethics committee because he was the only one still enrolled at IU.\nNow, Gray is suing Pennington and six others for more than $4 million each. According to the lawsuit, Gray filed for two counts of assault, battery and unlawful restraint, intentional infliction of emotional distress and punitive damages against each of the defendants.\nAccording to the lawsuit, McKaig said Pennington, Parker and Teets’ membership in their fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, was deactivated. Wynn Smiley, the chief executive officer of the ATO National Fraternity, did not return phone calls by press time. McKaig did not return repeated calls and e-mails by press time.\nBut Parker’s attorney, Greg Moss, said that he can confirm that Parker has not been deactivated from ATO. Moss would not comment further about any documentation he might have regarding the “deactivation.”\n“We have plenty of information to suggest that most of these allegations are false,” Moss said.
(11/13/07 6:00am)
An IU student was arrested Friday night after the Bloomington Police Department linked his image on a surveillance video tape to his Facebook account. \nMichael Gorenstein, 21, faces preliminary charges of battery resulting in bodily injury after he allegedly got into a fight at Kilroy’s Sports Bar earlier this month.\nBPD was dispatched to Kilroy’s Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., on Nov. 1 in response to reports that a 34-year-old man sustained serious bodily injuries, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nThe victim told officer Brad Seifers that Gorenstein beat him up, but that he did not know why, and that it was a unprovoked attack, Canada said. No one at the bar knew anything about the suspect, police said.\nThe victim was taken to the Bloomington Hospital to be treated for his injuries. He sustained a broken vertebrae and an injury to his nose and received between 17 and 22 stitches, Canada said.\nSeifers spoke to Kilroy’s management, who told him they may have had the attack on tape, Canada said. About a week later, Kilroy’s provided BPD with the video footage. After reviewing the tape, an unidentified person was able to identify the suspect as Gorenstein, Canada said.\nOfficers were able to confirm the suspect was Gorenstein through Gorenstein’s Facebook account.\nOfficers went to Gorenstein’s house and brought him into the police station for questioning. Gorenstein refused to answer any questions and was transported to the Monroe County Jail.