http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...star_tayl.html
University of Michigan football star Taylor Lewan will be charged with three misdemeanors for an assault in Ann Arbor on Dec. 1, and is scheduled to be arraigned next month, according to court records.
Online records from the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor show Lewan is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. April 8. He is to be charged with one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault or assault and battery.
The charges stem from a confrontation that took place about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 1 in the 1200 block of South University Avenue. The incident took place after Ohio State University defeated U-M, and two Buckeyes fans reported being assaulted.
Police confirmed on Christmas Eve that they were investigating what role Lewan might have had in the incident and said earlier this month they’d finished their investigation.
Detective Lt. Robert Pfannes confirmed the charges, but declined to release more information about the investigation. He said it’s standard procedure is to not release investigation results before a suspect is arraigned.
He added Lewan is the only person facing charges from the incident.
“Unless new information surfaces, it appears he’s the only who is going to be charged at this time,” Pfannes said.
The investigation into the incident lasted until March 6, and no one was arrested at the scene of the incident.
Court records show Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie authorized the charges against Lewan on Wednesday. On Thursday, a notice for Lewan to appear in court was created, as was an order for Lewan’s fingerprints.
In Michigan, assault and battery is a misdemeanor punishable by 93 days in jail or a fine of up to $500.
Aggravated assault is a more serious crime, defined as a charge against “a person who assaults an individual without a weapon and inflicts serious or aggravated injury upon that individual without intending to commit murder or to inflict great bodily harm less than murder.” That charge is punishable by one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
Court records show no previous criminal charges for Lewan, aside from an unpaid parking ticket. His current address is listed in Arizona.
During interviews before U-M’s bowl game against Kansas State in late December and interviews in February at the National Football League Combine, Lewan said he was trying to break up the altercation.
“I wasn't in any fight of any kind,” he said at a press conference. “I was actually breaking something up and some guy said that I slugged him. But that’s not who I am off the field, that’s not the kind of person I am. I might seem that way because of the way I play football, but that’s not who I am as a person.”
Lewan was a standout offensive lineman during his four years as a Wolverine and is projected to be an early pick in May’s NFL draft. He was a two-time All American and is considered one of the top three offensive tackles in the draft.