UC student faces felony charges for assaulting officer at Dayton St. Patrick’s Day celebration
One of the students arrested during the annual University of Dayton St. Patrick’s Day celebration was arraigned Tuesday for felony charges against peace officers.
News Center 7 previously reported that 17 people were arrested, 13 of whom were not students, after an on-campus celebration got out of hand over the weekend at the University of Dayton. Nine of those 17 were arrested for the incident on Lowes Street where they flipped over a car and proceeded to climb on top of it.
Of the people arrested, Paul Belanich, a University of Cincinnati student, was feloniously charged with obstruction of official business and two assaults on a peace officer. The charges were filed Tuesday morning.
The cash bond was set at $5,000.
The preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. in Courtroom 4C.
During the event on Lowes Street, Dayton police called out for a “99,” indicating a request for more backup. As more officers arrived, they began to clear the area.
“There’s no excuse for the destructive, unsafe behavior we saw from some people in the student neighborhood,” Savalas Kidd, assistant vice president and chief of police. “Jeopardizing the safety and security of our community cannot and will not be tolerated. When our officers witness behavior that is unsafe or violates the law, it is their duty to take action to protect our campus community.”
Officers used pepper-gas launchers to clear the streets and get people away from the vehicle.
“It was wheels up and then they started tear-gassing. We did our best to get out, then we were hanging at the house coughing and wincing,” Preston Rodgers said.
