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http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2015/03/university-student-honor-committee-member-martese-johnson-arrested
University student, Honor Committee member Martese Johnson arrested
Johnson sustained head injury during arrest, released on bond Wednesday morning
by Chloe Heskett | Mar 18 2015 | 2 hours ago
Black Dot, in an email circulated to University students and administrators, attached a photo of Johnson being held outside Trinity Irish Pub on the Corner.
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This is a developing story, and will continue to be updated with the latest information available.
Martese Johnson, a third-year student in the College and a member of the Honor Committee and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, was arrested around 12:45 a.m. on Mar. 18 after an incident occurring in front of Trinity Irish Pub on the Corner.
Johnson was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing justice without threats of force, and profane swearing or intoxication in public at 4:21 a.m. The arresting officer was Alcohol and Beverage Control special agent J. Miller.
Miller noted on the arrest record that Johnson “was very agitated and belligerent but no previous criminal history.”
In the course of the arrest, Johnson sustained a head injury requiring 10 stitches.
Johnson was held at $1,500 bail with the specification he be released on an unsecured bond when sober. He was released at 6:01 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
University President Teresa Sullivan has put in a request to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to open an independent investigation into the incident, according to Student Council President Jalen Ross, a fourth-year Engineering student, and Vice President of Student Affairs Patricia Lampkin. Lampkin said the request was made this morning, and that Sullivan has spoken with both University Police and the Charlottesville Police Department.
McAuliffe has since asked the Secretary of Public Safety to initiate an independent Virginia State Police investigation into the use of force in Johnson's arrest, Office of the Governor spokesperson Brian Coy
An email from Black Dot, signed as “Concerned Black Students,” said the arrest was unprovoked as Johnson was not resisting questioning or arrest. The email included a photo of Johnson bleeding while being held outside Trinity.
“Outside of the doors of Trinity Irish Pub, a mass of University students bore witness to the officer’s animalistic, insensitive, and brute handling of Martese,” the email said. “He was left with his blood splattered on the pavement of University Avenue.”
The email asks for a “swift and thorough investigation on the state, local and University levels.”
Black Student Alliance president Joy Omenyi, a fourth-year College student, said the BSA supports Black Dot’s statement.
Black Dot will hold an event at 8 p.m. Wednesday evening in Clark Library to open to all students. In a second email, Black Dot specified the event aims to allow students to “express...feelings and concerns about this and own experiences.”
Fourth-year Education student Bryan Beaubrun, who said he witnessed the incident, said an ABC agent approached Johnson shortly after the bouncer at Trinity asked him to step aside after refusing to accept his ID.
“Martese was talking to the bouncer and there was some discrepancy about his ID,” Beaubrun said. “ ABC officer approaches Martese and grabs him by the elbow…and pulls him to the side.”
The arrest took place shortly thereafter, as Johnson was talking with a small group of ABC agents and Charlottesville police officers.
“It happened so quickly,” Beaubrun said. “Out of nowhere I saw the two officers wrestling Martese to the ground. I was shocked that it escalated that quickly. Eventually on the ground, they’re trying to put handcuffs on him and their knees were on his back.”
Both the Charlottesville Police Department and the University Police Department were on the scene, UPD Lieutenant Melissa Fielding said.
“UPD and CPD were called to assist with a physical disorder on University Avenue by a Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Agent,” Fielding said in an email. “When UPD officers arrived on scene, the ABC Agent had an individual in custody and UPD assisted CPD in securing the scene.”
CPD Captain Gary Pleasants confirmed that Johnson was booked at the Charlottesville jail last night.
Johnson will appear in court on Mar. 26 at 10 a.m. and is charged with a class four misdemeanor, which carries a fine of no more than $250.
The Virginia ABC communications office is crafting a statement in response to the incident.
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