After being convicted of persistent disorderly conduct in March, former Student Senate president Megan Marzec along with two other defendants will appear for an appellate hearing on Thursday.
From joining protesters outside of an Ohio University Board of Trustees meeting to appearing in court, former Student Senate President Megan Marzec continues to stand by her ideals.
Marzec — along with former Student Senate committee member DJ Amireh and former senator Kyle Tussing — will appear in the Athens Common Pleas courthouse Thursday at 9:30 a.m. for an oral argument in her appeals case after being found guilty in March of persistent disorderly conduct.
Marzec, Amireh and Tussing were charged by the Athens Police Department after participating in a protest against tuition increases during the Jan. 22 Board of Trustees meeting.
During the protest, Marzec, Amireh and Tussing — along with other protesters — were found walking in the street without a parade permit. After being asked to move to the sidewalk, they continued marching in the street.
After hearing testimony from an APD officer who was on the scene, Athens County Municipal Court Judge William Grim handed each a sentence of 30 days in jail, the maximum jail time for that offense.
He added that the three could avoid jail time if they performed 30 hours of community service within 60 days, paid the court costs and remained “upstanding citizens” for a year. The court costs for Marzec were $189, and Amireh's and Tussing's were $104.
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Marzec appealed her sentence Aug. 19, in a brief that claimed the group was denied due process and the prosecution presented insufficient evidence during the trial.
In the brief, Marzec’s lawyer Pat McGee brought into question testimony of APD officer Nick Magruder, who testified he had not received complaints from residents during the protests. Magruder also testified he was not sure if the group had caused traffic issues or not, according to the brief.
McGee said in the brief that if the prosecution was not sure of those two things, Marzec, Amireh and Tussing were not in violation of the Athens law.
The case will be heard by the 4th district court of appeals.
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