A 21-year-old was charged with unlawful assault for breaking the jaw of a Sigma Chi member, according to police.
Bishop Kaylin Eamon Reese, of Morgantown, was charged with the crime by the WVU Police Department on Monday.
Reese is not a West Virginia University student, according to WVU Spokesperson John Bolt.
The victim, who is not named in a criminal complaint against Reese, will need surgery to repair his jaw, which is broken in two places. His jaw will need to be wired shut during the healing process.
WVU Police Chief W.P. Chedester said he was not releasing the victim’s name. A fight started after Reese was denied entry to 700 North High St., Chedester said.
According to the complaint, the victim told this to Officer J. Einreinhofer of University Police on Aug. 18, in J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Einreinhofer responded to the hospital because the victim wanted to report his injuries from the previous night.
The victim was standing outside his fraternity house at 700 North High St. — the Sigma Chi house — when he was hit, either with a fist or a liquor bottle, by a light-skinned black man wearing jeans and a white shirt, he said. The incident happened just after midnight on Aug. 18.
After being hit, the victim fell and was helped inside by several other fraternity members, the complaint states. He then went to bed, not realizing the seriousness of his injuries.
Several people who were standing outside at the time of the incident were interviewed and shown a photo lineup of possible suspects. Three of the witnesses identified Reese as the attacker, the complaint states.
Witnesses described Reese as wearing a white “wife beater” tank top and gray jeans on the night of the incident. The witnesses also said Reese used a liquor bottle to hit the victim, the complaint states.
Officers were called to 700 North High St. that night, but couldn’t find a victim, the complaint states. A WVU officer remembered seeing Reese with a liquor bottle in his hand during that call. Body camera footage shows Reese wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and gray jeans.
In the video, Reese can be heard saying, “they punched me first,” the complaint said.
Reese was arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court where bond was set at $50,000. As of Tuesday morning, bond was posted.
