Frankie Doss of West Point, Miss., who was charged with assaulting UTM police officer David Sliger at an on-campus party Friday night, Aug. 22, had bail set at $10,000 during his hearing Thursday in Weakley County General Sessions Court.

Doss, 23 and a former student, was among 15 men who were charged after fights occurred during a Delta Sigma Theta sorority party at the UC ballroom. As of press time Thursday, Doss was still being held in the Weakley County Detention Center in Dresden. His next court date is Sept. 3.

All 15 men charged after the incident were arraigned Monday.

Hearings for the other 14 will be held at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17. Eleven of the 15 are UTM students and at least one is an alumnus of the university. Charges ranged from fighting, simple assault and disorderly conduct to assault on a police officer.

According to a report released Monday by UTM’s Office of Public Safety, Sliger was struck with a chair while trying to clear guests from the ballroom after the fights began. “When responding officer tried to break up this fight (the second fight mentioned on the report), responding officer was struck three times in the back with a chair,” the report read.

Sliger attempted to apprehend the assailant, but the subject fled through the southeast door of the ballroom. Based upon the statements of witnesses, police said, the subject who struck Sliger with the chair was identified as Frankie Doss.

According to the Public Safety report, the following sequence of events occurred:

At 11:45 p.m. Aug. 22, Sliger, the responding officer, was walking through the UC 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 speaking to the sorority’s adviser, Deborah Boyd, Sliger asked that the DJ 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. While in pursuit of the assailant who hit him with the chair, 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 UC 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 Ellington Hall lobby. The subjects were identified as Sherman and Therman Boddie, 25, of Mason, Tenn., and were charged with disorderly conduct. Sherman Boddie also is a former UTM student.

According to the police report, those charged were:

Christopher Outlaw, 21, a student from 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, a student from Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

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

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

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

Travis Chambers, 20, a student from 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 and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Michael Fogle, 23, a student from Camden, was charged with disorderly conduct and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers. He also faces an assault charge based upon a complaint by a female student, who said 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, 21, a student from Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Kelvin Williams, 23, a student from Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Levi Duncan, 24, a student from Eustis, Fla., was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers. He also faces an assault charge based upon a complaint by a female student, who said Duncan struck her three times in the face with his closed fist when the party was over and the participants were leaving.

Kortnie Dockery, 22, a student from Memphis, was charged with disorderly conduct after fighting and refusing to leave the area when ordered to several times by officers.

Though the Public Safety investigation is complete, an interview with the vice chancellor of Student Affairs, Dr. Katie High, shows that UTM’s Office of Student Affairs is now conducting its own investigation into the incident to determine what happened and whether academic discipline is needed.
“This is likely to be a long, slow process,” High said. “And when it’s over, we will know what happened, but we may never be sure why it happened.”

High added that all students involved in the situation who are willing to talk to Student Affairs about the incident are asked to do so. “Of course, we will interview those who pressed charges and those who were charged, but we also are seeking information from anyone who witnessed the event.”

High said Vishenia Huery, UTM’s student conduct officer, will be conducting all interviews in the coming weeks. In the student conduct process, recommendations of academic discipline are individual and are not made until the investigation is complete. The recommendations typically are forwarded to the University Council, which then determines the final punishment.

“Fighting is a suspendable offense,” High said. “That’s not to say that every student who is involved in a fight is automatically suspended. But students are told when they arrive on campus that they can be suspended for fighting.”

The Pacer has received statements from the two fraternities said to be involved in the incidents. According to the police report, “The investigation revealed that the main 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 statement was brought to the Pacer on behalf of the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma:

“We the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity incorporated do express our sincerest apologies in regret to any discrepancies we may have caused the student body at the University of Tennessee at Martin, however we do not regret anything that we may have done to defend the honor of the fraternity and the men who have paved the way for us to be here today. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity incorporated strongly believes in the principles of brotherhood, scholarship, and service, and serving the students at the University of Tennessee at Martin. It is through our service that we will prove that we are innocent bystanders in this situation; it is through our actions that we the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity incorporated did not mean any injustice that this may have caused and we do apologize for any misunderstanding.”

The statement submitted by Travis Chambers, publicity officer for Omega Psi Phi fraternity, reads as follows:

“On behalf of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., we would like to apologize to the students, administration, Public Safety and anyone else who was harmed by the incident that took place on August 22 in the UC Ballroom. That is not the way to start off a new year. Omega Psi Phi as well as the other Greek organizations are here to set an example for the incoming students as well as the students who are returning, of how Greeks operate. Being Greek is not about who has the most members or when push comes to shove who can be more resolute. Being Greek is about servicing the community and showing unity TOGETHER!! Not just in your individual organization. That night I’m sure no one could tell that us as Greek affiliates upheld those responsibilities. So as of now we are apologizing again and working hard as ever to restore Greek unity to the campus of UTM.”

Statements on behalf of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority were submitted to The Pacer, but the group’s adviser, Deborah Boyd, asked that they not be printed.

The Pacer has received several complaints as to whether the procedures and actions in deploying pepper spray were legitimate. The Pacer will follow up and track these and other charges as they progress through the court.

The Pacer also makes a correction to the online version of the article posted on Monday of this week. The earlier statement reading, “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,” is incorrect. The correct statement should read, “After speaking to the sorority’s adviser…” Boyd was present at the party “from start to finish.” The Pacer regrets any harm the earlier statement may have caused Boyd or Delta Sigma Theta sorority.