A UTM Public Safety police report released Monday, Aug. 25, shows that the incident that occurred Friday, Aug. 22 in the ballroom of the Boling University Center has resulted in the arrest of 15; of those, 11 are currently enrolled at UTM and three are former UTM students. Charges range from fighting, simple assault, disorderly conduct to assault on a police officer.

Public Safety’s investigation to identify the participants in the fights show that the primary combatants were members of the Phi Beta Sigma and the Omega Psi Phi fraternities and that members of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority had been assaulted during the fights.

The following information is based on records obtained from the Department of Public Safety:

According to the police report, at 11:45 p.m. Aug. 22, UTM Public Safety Officer David Sliger, the responding officer, was walking through the University Center when he noticed that a fight had taken place in the ballroom. Delta Sigma Theta sorority was hosting a party in the ballroom at that time.

After a phone call to the sorority’s adviser, Deborah Boyd, Sliger asked that the disc jockey stop the music and said that all participants needed to leave the building immediately.

A second fight erupted in the crowd while Sliger was trying to clear the guests from the ballroom. When he attempted to break up the fight, he was struck three times in the back with a chair by a suspect who was later identified as Frankie Doss of West Point, Miss.

Doss, who fled through the southeast door of the ballroom, was charged with assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct after refusing to leave the area.

While in pursuit of the assailant, the responding officer observed a third fight. After attempts to stop the fight with verbal commands failed, he warned that pepper spray would be deployed. When the combatants did not respond, pepper spray was deployed to break up the fight.

Sliger then observed that Officer Michael Wenz of UTM Public Safety was trying to break up a fourth fight. Sliger was unable to assist Wenz because of a fifth fight that developed between his location and Wenz's location. Verbal commands to stop fighting were ignored, and the responding officer deployed pepper spray to break up that fight.

After breaking up the fifth fight, Sliger was able to make his way to Wenz’s location. Wenz was still trying to break up the fourth fight. After verbal commands from Wenz and Sliger were ignored, pepper spray was deployed to break up this fight as well.

While still trying to clear guests from the ballroom, Sliger observed a sixth fight. Once again, attempts to stop the fight with verbal commands failed. Pepper spray was once again deployed.

The responding officer then observed a seventh fight near the southeast door of the ballroom. Pepper spray was deployed to break up this fight after verbal commands were ignored.

As the participants departed the building, groups began to form on the patio south of the University Center and continued to shout at one another. When the groups were advised to disperse, two subjects apparently refused to do so and were arrested outside the east side of the Ellington Hall lobby. The two were identified as Sherman and Therman Boddie of Mason, Tenn., and both were charged with disorderly conduct.

According to the police report, the following subjects were identified, arrested and charged in connection with the incident:

Christopher Outlaw, 21, of Lawrenceburg, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by the responding officer.

Arthaniel Bailey III, 21, of Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Robert Clay, 23, of Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Darrell Davis, 26, of Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Rico Olden, 22, of Covington, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Travis Chambers, 20, of Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Steward Perry, 23, a former student from Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Michael Fogle, 23, of Camden, was charged with disorderly conduct and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers and also for assault based upon a complaint by a female student who stated Mr. Fogle struck her on the right side of her face with his closed fist when the party was over and the participants were leaving.

Lemmie Gribbs, a 21-year-old student of Memphis, was arrested for disorderly conduct for fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Kelvin Williams, a 23-year-old student of Memphis, was arrested for disorderly conduct for fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Levi Duncan, a 24-year-old student of Ustis, Fla., was arrested for disorderly conduct for fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers and for assault based upon a complaint by another female student who stated Mr. Duncan struck her three times in the face with his closed fist when the party was over and the participants were leaving.

Kortnie Dockery, a 22-year-old student of Memphis, was arrested for disorderly conduct for fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Frankie Doss, a 23-year-old former student of West Point, Miss., was arrested for assault of a police officer stemming from the assault on Officer Sliger.

Sherman Boddie, a 25-year-old former student of Mason, Tenn., was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Therman Boddie, a 25-year-old man from Mason, Tenn., with no direct ties to UTM was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

The Department of Public Safety is continuing investigation into this incident.

The Pacer will follow up with a comprehensive story to be printed in Friday’s edition, which will include statements from campus officials, organizations involved as well as student reactions.