Penn State tight end Theo Johnson sentenced to six months of ARD following charges

Penn State TE Theo Johnson has been sentenced to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program after being charged with two misdemeanors in April.

If completed, the ARD program would allow Johnson to have the charges expunged from his record.

Johnson was charged with one count of simple assault and one count of criminal mischief after he was accused of punching a man in the face at a fraternity party in February. According to court documents, the count of simple assault was dropped and a count of simple assault-mutual consent fight, was added.

State College police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause that a fight broke out in February after Johnson refused to leave a fraternity along East Prospect Avenue. Johnson was asked to leave because he was not wearing a wristband that was required for the event and surveillance video showed Johnson punch the man during the argument, police wrote.

Penn State head coach James Franklin said earlier this month that any punishment won’t be made public but added that his program is thorough when it reviews such matters.

“I’m not gonna get into the specifics and details of those things,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any reason, or don’t feel like those things are necessary. And then we’re also going to do the homework on any type of incident and find out what really happened. And then the penalty will align with that. I’m not ever gonna be quick to react until we have all the information.”