Correction appended.
Ohio University police officers arrested six men early Friday morning on charges including burglary, obstruction of justice and improper handling of a firearm.
The arrests occurred over a series of three incidents officers believe were related, according to an OUPD news release.
First, an officer on foot patrol saw an occupied vehicle in a parking lot near Rufus Way. She determined the driver had marijuana in his lap and found a concealed weapon on him.
That man, 22-year-old Jerome Watkins, was arrested and charged with possessing weapons under disability, improper handling of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of controlled substances. A female passenger was cited with a minor misdemeanor drug charge and another passenger was released without charges.
Next, officers responded to a call about a fight near Nelson Commons. They determined that four men had claimed to have a weapon and burglarized a room in Mackinnon Hall, according to the release. Andre Bailey, 18, Andre Carroll, 18, Terrance Brister, 18, and Johnanthony Fulgham, 21, were arrested for burglary. No weapons were found on the four men, but officers believe they were “connected” to Watkins and the others in the vehicle.
As an officer walked one of the four men arrested for burglary into the police station, the passenger released without charges allegedly confronted the officer. He was arrested for obstruction of official business, a misdemeanor.
None of the arrested men were OU students, according to the release. They were taken to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail and banned from campus.
Correction: A previous version of this report used an incorrect pronoun to identify the gender of the officer who saw an occupied vehicle in a parking lot near Rufus Way. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
