YSU football player charged with felonious assault

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A Youngstown State University football player accused of breaking a man’s nose at a fraternity party earlier this month was arraigned Monday in municipal court on a charge of felonious assault.

Eric Thompson, 21, of Bradenton, Fla., turned himself in to police Monday before his arraignment, then was booked into the Mahoning County jail, where he was arraigned via video hookup. Magistrate Anthony Sertick set his bond at 10 percent of $10,000.

Thompson, a cornerback for the Penguins about to begin his senior season, is accused of breaking the man’s nose early Feb. 7 during a fraternity party on Park Avenue.

The victim told police he was trying to end the party when he told a woman who is on the track team to leave.

The woman pushed the victim, and the victim then yelled at her, reports said. The victim told police that’s when Thompson, who is the woman’s boyfriend, sucker-punched him in the nose, breaking it in two places.

Reports said the victim had publicized the party and expected about 20 people to show up, but 70 to 80 people came. The victim told police there were no major problems with that many people attending, but he decided to “shut down” the party after it had gone on for a while, reports said.

University police initially were called before city detectives were handed the case.

The victim had to have surgery on his nose, reports said.

The felonious-assault charge Thompson faces is a second-degree felony, the second-highest degree of felony in Ohio. It carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison upon a conviction. The charge states that Thompson caused “great bodily harm” to the victim.

The bond was set after assistant city Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno conferred with Thompson’s lawyer, Jeff Limbian. Moliterno said Thompson has no prior criminal record anywhere.