WILBERFORCE, Greene County — The more than 10 police officers and deputies who were able to get a Wilberforce University student to a hospital after he fought with them and spat at several of them are being thanked by the university’s president.
>> EARLIER COVERAGE: Jury finds area college student guilty of harassment for spitting on police, deputies
President Vann R. Newkirk on Thursday expressed his gratitude for the diligent work of law enforcement agencies who worked to ensure the safety of student Shawn Whitfield stemming from the incident that began at the Living Learning Center on campus Jan. 13 and continued at Greene Memorial Hospital.
A Greene County Common Pleas jury convicted the 23-year-old Detroit, Michigan, man this week on one count of felony harassment with a bodily substance. The jury’s verdict was based on evidence that Whitfield began fighting with a university police officer at the LLC on campus, continued resisting that officer and at least 10 others from area law enforcement in the hospital’s ER and from his hospital bed spat on at least one officer.
Whitfield testified that he was too intoxicated to recall being at the hospital.
“This situation serves as a positive example of the effective outcomes that can be achieved when law enforcement agencies work together with care and concern for the individuals involved,” Newkirk said in a statement to News Center 7 and whio.com.
“WU is deeply saddened by the events surrounding Whitfield’s conviction,” the president said.
He noted that the university recognizes that many students, especially during certain times of the year, experience heightened stress, which can lead to breaks in mental health.
“To the best of our knowledge, Mr. Whitfield had not posed any prior issues before the incident, and he has not been on campus since it occurred. We remain committed to supporting our students and the entire Wilberforce community as we move forward from this difficult chapter,” Newkirk said in his statement.
Whitfield remained in the county jail Thursday night, awaiting a sentencing date.
We will continue to monitor this story and provide updates.
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