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Gunfire gets baseball players busted
BY MICHAEL BOOTH AND CLIFF KIRKPATRICK
GAZETTE-TIMES REPORTERS
Early-morning target practice damaged neighbor’s house, car
Two current Oregon State University baseball players and one former player were arrested Tuesday and accused of shooting rifle bullets that struck a neighboring house and car.
Shots from a .22 rifle were fired about 1:30 a.m. toward cans placed against a fence. At least six bullets went through the fence, striking a neighboring house and car.
Jorge Reyes, 20, John Wallace, 21, and Anton Maxwell, 22, were arrested for charges of unlawful use of a weapon, a class C felony, and criminal mischief.
Reyes is the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher and 2007 College World Series Most Valuable Player. Wallace is a key outfielder who starts and comes off the bench.
Three men were seen shooting at soda cans in the backyard of Maxwell’s residence on the 200 block of 14th Street, said Corvallis Police spokesman Dave Henslee.
The house on the other side of the fence, at 223 N.W. 15th St., was struck by bullets three times after shots went through the fence. A resident of the house said two of the bullets lodged in the outside wall but one went through a bedroom window. Three more bullets hit a car parked in front of the same window, according to a resident.
Seven students live in the home that was peppered by the small-caliber rounds, although only three were home at the time, said resident Brian Bodtker.
“One shot went through my bedroom window, ricocheted off the wall and landed on my bed,” Bodtker told the Gazette-Times.
Bodtker, who was not home at the time, said he reported the incident to police at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday after finding bullet holes in his bedroom window and three holes in his car, including one that went through his car window.
Bodtker did not know who had been arrested in relation to the incident until Wednesday, when he said he knew the men to be affable.
“We know they’re nice guys,” Bodtker said. “I don’t think it was intentional; just dumb.”
After speaking to his roommates later, Bodtker said two were sleeping and one was up studying. The student who was awake thought the gunshots were fireworks and disregarded them.
Police contacted a neighbor who said she saw three men firing the rifle in the yard around 1:30 a.m. She did not think anything of it at the time, she told the Gazette-Times. She didn’t know who the men were.
The three suspects were cited and released from custody after cooperating with police during their investigation, Henslee said.
Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said he will review the case before filing formal charges.
Another pending decision — that of OSU baseball coach Pat Casey and athletic director Bob De Carolis regarding any punishment for the incident — could have an impact on the Beaver baseball team’s immediate future.
Casey had no comment Wednesday when asked about his knowledge of the situation, or if there was going to be any discipline of his players.
OSU’s code of conduct for athletes arrested or cited for criminal activity outlines punishment but mentions few specific crimes for which it applies.
If there is a plea of no contest or guilty, or conviction to a felony, the athlete will be permanently dismissed from the team, according to OSU policy.
The policy mentions alcohol, controlled substances, physical assault and sexual offenses. However, the intention is that there will be a suspension of 10 percent of games for being accused of misdemeanors and suspension until cleared of felonies.
For the baseball team, a misdemeanor punishment translates into a five-game suspension in a 54-game season. That would mean missing one start for Reyes, who is the team’s No. 2 starter, if the suspension is immediate.
OSU’s last firearm-related incident involving an athlete was with the football team. Coye Francies was removed from the team before the 2007 season after being charged in Multnomah County with unlawful possession of a loaded firearm. All charges were later dismissed.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/03/20/news/community/4aaa01_shooting.txt
BY MICHAEL BOOTH AND CLIFF KIRKPATRICK
GAZETTE-TIMES REPORTERS
Early-morning target practice damaged neighbor’s house, car
Two current Oregon State University baseball players and one former player were arrested Tuesday and accused of shooting rifle bullets that struck a neighboring house and car.
Shots from a .22 rifle were fired about 1:30 a.m. toward cans placed against a fence. At least six bullets went through the fence, striking a neighboring house and car.
Jorge Reyes, 20, John Wallace, 21, and Anton Maxwell, 22, were arrested for charges of unlawful use of a weapon, a class C felony, and criminal mischief.
Reyes is the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher and 2007 College World Series Most Valuable Player. Wallace is a key outfielder who starts and comes off the bench.
Three men were seen shooting at soda cans in the backyard of Maxwell’s residence on the 200 block of 14th Street, said Corvallis Police spokesman Dave Henslee.
The house on the other side of the fence, at 223 N.W. 15th St., was struck by bullets three times after shots went through the fence. A resident of the house said two of the bullets lodged in the outside wall but one went through a bedroom window. Three more bullets hit a car parked in front of the same window, according to a resident.
Seven students live in the home that was peppered by the small-caliber rounds, although only three were home at the time, said resident Brian Bodtker.
“One shot went through my bedroom window, ricocheted off the wall and landed on my bed,” Bodtker told the Gazette-Times.
Bodtker, who was not home at the time, said he reported the incident to police at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday after finding bullet holes in his bedroom window and three holes in his car, including one that went through his car window.
Bodtker did not know who had been arrested in relation to the incident until Wednesday, when he said he knew the men to be affable.
“We know they’re nice guys,” Bodtker said. “I don’t think it was intentional; just dumb.”
After speaking to his roommates later, Bodtker said two were sleeping and one was up studying. The student who was awake thought the gunshots were fireworks and disregarded them.
Police contacted a neighbor who said she saw three men firing the rifle in the yard around 1:30 a.m. She did not think anything of it at the time, she told the Gazette-Times. She didn’t know who the men were.
The three suspects were cited and released from custody after cooperating with police during their investigation, Henslee said.
Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said he will review the case before filing formal charges.
Another pending decision — that of OSU baseball coach Pat Casey and athletic director Bob De Carolis regarding any punishment for the incident — could have an impact on the Beaver baseball team’s immediate future.
Casey had no comment Wednesday when asked about his knowledge of the situation, or if there was going to be any discipline of his players.
OSU’s code of conduct for athletes arrested or cited for criminal activity outlines punishment but mentions few specific crimes for which it applies.
If there is a plea of no contest or guilty, or conviction to a felony, the athlete will be permanently dismissed from the team, according to OSU policy.
The policy mentions alcohol, controlled substances, physical assault and sexual offenses. However, the intention is that there will be a suspension of 10 percent of games for being accused of misdemeanors and suspension until cleared of felonies.
For the baseball team, a misdemeanor punishment translates into a five-game suspension in a 54-game season. That would mean missing one start for Reyes, who is the team’s No. 2 starter, if the suspension is immediate.
OSU’s last firearm-related incident involving an athlete was with the football team. Coye Francies was removed from the team before the 2007 season after being charged in Multnomah County with unlawful possession of a loaded firearm. All charges were later dismissed.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/03/20/news/community/4aaa01_shooting.txt
