The first of four students accused of barricading an Ohio University residential assistant in his room has changed his plea to guilty as part of a deal with city prosecutors.
Judge William Grim sentenced 20-year-old Michael Detweiler, of Hartville, to 120 days in jail and fined him $750 for unlawful restraint and criminal mischief, but suspended the entire jail term and $450 of the fine, placing him on one-year probation and ordering him to complete 50 hours community service within 90 days, as part of the agreement.
Detweiler will not have to serve jail time or pay the suspended portion of his fine unless he violates the terms of his probation by breaking the law in the next year or failing to fulfill his community service requirement.
Prosecutors say Detweiler helped three others barricade Perkins Hall RA Tele Gallagher, of Akron, in his room on the second of two incidents Spring Quarter. They allegedly used rope to block the door on their first attempt on May 15, and chains on their second attempt on May 29, according to court documents.
Detweiler reportedly participated in the second incident, but not the first.
Police charged Detweiler, who was a freshman at the time, but is now a sophomore, with criminal mischief and unlawful restraint as first and third degree misdemeanors, respectively. Prosecutors have filed additional restraint and mischief charges against the other three - 19-year-olds Thomas Grasso, Andrew Upperman and Daniel Rambacher.
Detweiler admitted to the charges Thursday after originally pleading not guilty.
He will likely be called as a witness if the other three cases go to trial, City Law Director Pat Lang said, adding that he made the agreement with Detweiler in exchange for his cooperation, because he was only involved in the second incident and is arguably the least involved.
Criminal mischief is often a third-degree misdemeanor, but prosecutors have charged the four with first-degree offenses, saying they put Gallagher in danger.
Had he gone to trial, Detweiler could have been sentenced to eight months in jail and forced to pay $1,500 in fines if convicted.
Prosecutors will likely demand more severe sentences for the other three in any plea agreement, because they were involved with in both incidents and are charged with more severe offenses, Lang said.
The others have maintained their respective not guilty pleas, and their pre-trials are scheduled for August. Each could spend up to 18 months in prison and pay thousand-dollar fines if convicted of all charges.
In addition to criminal sentences, the students could be suspended or expelled from OU if convicted by student judiciaries, university officials have said.
Detweiler's attorney had contacted Lang about making a deal prior to Thursday, he said, adding that though he has talked with lawyers for the other three students, they have not made any agreement.
Detweiler could not be reached for comment.
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Frank Thomas
