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Friday, December 13, 2002
Report: Casey indicted on felony assault charges
Associated Press
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Penn State quarterback Rashard Casey
has been indicted by a grand jury on an assault charge in the
alleged beating of an off-duty policeman, according to published
reports.
Casey was indicted by the grand jury investigating the May
beating in Casey's hometown of Hoboken, N.J., the newspapers said.
Casey and high school teammate Desmond Miller both pleaded
innocent to aggravated assault charges in the case earlier this
year.
Reports of the indictment, based on anonymous sources, were
carried in Wednesday's editions of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the
Centre (Pa.) Daily Times, the Philadelphia Daily News, The
Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., and USA Today.
USA Today said Casey was indicted on third-degree felony assault
and could face five years in prison if convicted. It said his trial
was expected to begin next year.
The Patriot-News and the Daily News said Casey was indicted with
second-degree assault, which could bring a 10-year prison sentence
upon conviction.
Terrence Hull, first assistant Hudson County prosecutor, said he
could not disclose results of the grand jury proceedings for at
least a week. But he said he would be permitted to speak about the
case if no indictments had been made.
Casey's lawyer, Dennis D. McAlevy, refused to comment.
"I can't say because no one of any official capacity has told me he has been
indicted," McAlevy said.
Anthony Pope, attorney for Officer Patrick D. Fitzsimmons, the
victim of the alleged beating, said he could not confirm whether
Casey had been indicted.
Penn State sports information director Jeff Nelson also said he
could not confirm whether the grand jury had decided to press
charges.
Hull said Tuesday that the grand jury heard testimony on Oct. 17
and Tuesday regarding the attack on Fitzsimmons, 34, of Hoboken.
Police said Casey punched Fitzsimmons, and that Casey and Miller
kicked Fitzsimmons repeatedly in the head after he left a bar at
2:30 a.m. on May 14. Police said the men were angry that
Fitzsimmons, who is white, left the bar with a black woman.
Casey, who led the Nittany Lions to a victory in the Alamo Bowl
last year, remains on the team pending the outcome of an
investigation by a Penn State judicial review committee.
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