By Logan Martinez, Sarah Prinz and Katie Spencer
Fifteen people, including eight CSU students, have been charged in the riot started after the April 27 block party in the Summerhill neighborhood.
Ad
The charges range from inciting a riot to unreasonable noise. Two people were charged with inciting a riot and three with engaging in a riot, which are the charges that hold the most weight.
Kyle Stephen Griffin, who was charged with inciting a riot, is a CSU employee at the Pingree Park campus. A Pingree Park employee confirmed that Griffin works in housekeeping and as part of the kitchen crew.
“Kyle Stephen Griffin is a CSU employee,” Dell Rae Mollenberg, a CSU spokesperson, wrote in an email the the Collegian. “The university is looking into the matter and will review the police reports, but we are not able to discuss personnel issues.”
Kapri Lashaw Bibbs, a CSU football player, was charged with unreasonable noise in the riot. Bibbs could not be reached for comment at the time of press.
CSU will respond to the students who have been charged when Conflict Resolution & Student Conduct Services receives the police report.
“They will review them and determine the appropriate Code of Conduct violations that match up with the County and Municipal charges,” wrote Jody Donovan, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, in an email to the Collegian.
Donovan said the students would receive a letter of the alleged violations and a date for a University Hearing.
“They will have an opportunity to share their perspectives, present witnesses and other information to help the University Hearing Officer make a good decision related to responsibility and education,” Donovan wrote.
Kristi Shore, the mother of Dane Elliot Shore, a CSU student charged with nuisance gathering, commented on her son’s charges.
Ad
“We’re just very disappointed. Dane wasn’t living in Fort Collins or even a CSU student spring semester. He was recovering from a neck injury and living at home,” Kristi said.
Although it was Dane’s roommate who was accused of hosting the riot, Dane’s name was on the apartment’s lease; therefore he is receiving the charge.
Kristi said when she learned of the party via Facebook, she sent her son to defend the apartment.
“He went up to try to calm the party. He was actually trying to help the police and get people to leave,” Kristi said.
Donovan said there have not been any decisions yet in regards to changes for the Party Registration Advisory Committee.
“It is important to remember that the neighborhood disturbance was the problem, not Party Registration,” Donovan said. “We will continue to review the Party Registration program as well as other educational initiatives to help students be good community members.”
Fort Collins police officers responded to the block party when they received noise complaints. Fifteen police units and SWAT vans responded to the event, which turned into an 800-person riot.
Fort Collins police tried to break up the scene, but some partygoers became rowdy and started climbing light poles and on top of cars.
“We began to take on bottles and cans that were thrown from the crowd,” Officer Andy Haase said in a FCPD incident report. “The crowd that was dancing seemed to become hostile towards Police and was now chanting ‘f*** the Police’ and ‘I say I’m proud to be a CSU Ram.’”
Content producers Logan Martinez, Sarah Prinz and Katie Spencer can be reached at news@collegian.com.
Update: July 3, 4:15 p.m.
Update: July 3, 1:50 p.m.
Colorado State University will be responding to the charges when Conflict Resolution & Student Conduct Services receives the police report, said Jody Donovan, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
“Once Conflict Resolution & Student Conduct Services receives the police reports, they will review them and determine the appropriate Code of Conduct violations that match up with the County and Municiple charges,” Donovan wrote in an email to the Collegian. “The students will receive a letter of those alleged violations and a date for a University Hearing. They will have an opportunity to share their perspectives, present witnesses and other information to help the University Hearing Officer make a good decision related to responsibility and education.”
Kyle Stephen Griffin, cited with inciting a riot, is a CSU employee for the Pingree Park campus as a program aide. An employee of Pingree Park confirmed that Griffin works in house keeping and as a part of the kitchen crew.
“Kyle Stephen Griffin is a CSU employee. The university is looking into the matter and will review the police reports, but we are not able to discuss personnel issues,” said Dell Rae Mollenberg, CSU spokes person.
Donovan explained the Party Registration Advisory Committee had a meeting scheduled earlier this summer to review the year and evaluate the program.
“During this meeting we discussed a variety of options for improving the program and supporting its effectiveness. There have not been any decisions yet regarding changes,” Donovan said. “It is important to remember that the neighborhood disturbance was the problem, not Party Registration. Every weekend there are both registered and unregistered parties. We’re able to convey education proactively to those who register their parties. We will continue to review the Party Registration program as well as other educational initiatives to help students be good community members.”
— Sarah Prinz
UPDATE: July 3, 10:15 a.m.
According to a press release from Fort Collins Police Services sent at 10 a.m., 15 people have been cited in the Summerhill block party including one CSU football player, concluding the investigation.
The parties on April 27 were broken up after police were called due to residents complaining about large amounts of people gathered in the streets.
According to the press release, the crowd became aggressive and conditions deteriorated into a riot.
Below are the charges and people involved with those specific charges.
- Inciting a riot:
- Kyle Stephen Griffin
- Kodi Don Noe
- Engaging in a riot
- Cameron Walker Isaacks
- Joseph Daniel Steinkirchner, CSU Student
- Disorderly Conduct
- Houwer (Mike) Omar Argueta-Garcia, CSU Student
Municipal Misdemeanors:
“The following eight individuals who hosted three of the parties have been charged with a municipal citation for nuisance gatherings. The citation carries a fine of up to $1,000 and allows the city to recover any costs incurred as a result of the incident. Nuisance gathering citations are municipal court misdemeanors and the charges will be resolved through the Municipal Court process.”
- Nuisance Gathering:
- Jared Charles Doll
- Ethan Leslie Lewinskas-Hodgson, CSU Student
- Jeremy Brian Smith, CSU Student
- Michael Aaron King, CSU Student
- Andrew Ellipsis Simmons
- Tyler Michael Loendorf, CSU Student
- Zachary Alan Vonthun
- Dane Elliot Shore, CSU Student
- Unreasonable Noise
- Kapri Lashaw Bibbs, CSU Student
- Evan Louis Edwards
UPDATE: May 9, 1:45 p.m.
According to a press release from Fort Collins Police Services sent at approximately 1 p.m., the investigation into the April 27-28, 2013 parties in the Summerhill neighborhood that deteriorated into riotous conditions is continuing.
Fort Collins police have seven pictures of persons of interest believed to have been involved in the disturbance and need the public’s assistance in identifying those individuals.
Police are asking that anyone who knows the identity of any of these people please contact Officer Allen Heaton at 970-221-6555 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 where he or she will remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a cash reward. Crime Stoppers may also be reached through their Web site at www.stopcriminals.org.
UPDATE: May 3, 1:30 p.m.
According to a news release from Fort Collins Police Services sent today at approximately 10 a.m., FCPS is continuing investigations into the April 28 parties in the Summerhill neighborhood that led to riotous conditions.
Police are reviewing videos and photographs of the event to identify people who instigated and/or participated in the disturbance to determine what, if any, criminal charges are appropriate.
Citizens with photos or videos of the incident are asked to send them to policetips@fcgov.com.
UPDATE: Monday, 6:25 p.m.
By Emily Smith
Monday afternoon, Rita Davis, spokeswoman for Fort Collins Police Services, confirmed at this point in time no arrests have been made or charges filed in relation to Saturday night’s block party.
“We do have an active, open investigation going on. Right now we are reviewing video to determine if there was any criminal violation that occurred,” Davis said. “Once we determine that, we have to determine who the individuals were, and then once we’ve identified the individuals, we have to review it with the district attorney’s office … before charges are actually filed, if any.”
Davis said the process will likely take a couple of weeks, similar to last time this happened, to have any resolution.
In an email sent to CSU students Monday afternoon, Dean of Students Jody Donovan wrote that she wanted to acknowledge the many students who have let the university know they don’t want what happened Saturday night to define CSU students.
“The university is taking this incident very seriously and will cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation,” Donovan continued. “Students who are found to be involved in rioting behavior will be held accountable – through the legal system, the student conduct system, or both. The university fully supports police efforts to identify responsible individuals.”
According to Donovan, under Colorado law, students who are convicted of a riot offense shall be immediately suspended from the university for 12 months and also are prohibited from registering at any Colorado state-supported college or university for a full year.
News Editor Emily Smith can be reached at news@collegian.com.
By Andrew Carrera and Austin Briggs
CSU Dean of Students Jody Donovan, confirmed Sunday that the university is cooperating with Fort Collins Police Services’ ongoing investigation into Saturday night’s alcohol-fueled block party that descended into property damage, expletive-filled chanting and riot-clad police officers being pelted with beer bottles before responding with tear gas.
Fifteen police cars and a SWAT van were spotted responding to what a police officer said was an 800-person riot, just blocks from the southwest corner of the CSU main campus.
Police had arrived at the scene at around 8:30 p.m. in response to noise complaints about the event. After FCPS addressed the crowd and departed from the scene, hundreds more flocked to the six to seven condos apparently still hosting the party, shouting “F*** the police!” “Go CSU!” “Proud to be a Ram!” and “F*** CSUPD!” according to witnesses. Others saw partygoers climbing up streetlight poles, onto the roofs of multiple houses, and one car, swinging it back and forth, shouting “F*** CU!” and causing its roof and windshield to collapse.
Sources said the police looked on as the owner of the car frantically pulled people off right before tear gas was deployed to disperse the crowd of mostly CSU students.
“We heard bangs, the electricity went out and people started running,” said Nic Vasquez, a junior environmental health major who saw the scene unfold.
Partygoers and FCPS Lt. Russell Reed said that some attendees had begun throwing beer bottles at the police officers, none of whom were wearing helmets at the time. Reed said this prompted police to fire tear gas into the crowd before 11 p.m. and clear out the area by midnight.
“Yeah, I’d call that a riot,” he said. “When our officers have to use gas to get themselves out of a situation because of the immaturity of the crowd… yeah, that’s a riot.”
While no officers were wounded, three people sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment, said FCPS Spokeswoman Rita Davis in a news release.
But not everyone who was hurt Saturday night visited the emergency room.
“I got gassed so bad –– I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe. I just started running away,” said senior business major Max Firth. He had gone to the party with four or five friends, left the scene, and came back just as the police showed up. Right after arriving, he said a tear gas canister went off right next to him, covering his face and body in the toxic gas.
“Kids were definitely acting aggressively towards the police and were throwing bottles and chanting,” Firth added.
Walking down Prospect Road after the party, one attendee who identified himself as Lex had a welt on his forehead that he said was from getting hit in the head with another canister.
Alexander Brown, a junior business administration major who lives on the block and watched the events unfold Saturday evening, said the police had initially come by to disperse the crowd. Partygoers responded with aggression, prompting the police to fall back, get tear gas and return.
“It was crazy but justified on the officers part unfortunately, because they were nicely trying to break it up and it just got way too rowdy,” Brown said.
Reed said there weren’t enough officers at the scene to make any arrests, with only 15 to 20 officers on hand to control a crowd of 800 college students. A few officers, however, were recording the mayhem on video and plan to use the footage to identify and apprehend the riot’s instigators.
The party hosts, on the other hand, may be harder to track down, Reed said. The crowd’s size makes it difficult for police to pinpoint exactly which house (or houses) actually hosted the evening’s festivities, and which houses were just filled with the overflow of attendees.
But since one of the house parties was registered through CSU’s Office of Off-Campus Life –– which requires hosts to give their names, addresses and phone numbers in exchange for help avoiding a noise ticket –– Fort Collins police dispatchers have some information about who was throwing a party that night.
“The understanding is, initially, (party registration) information is only kept at the dispatch system,” Dean Donovan said. “ …However, in a case like this, because it’s all an internal document now… Fort Collins police has access to that information.”
She added: “That’s certainly something that is part of what we want students to know about… I hope that students would understand that party registration is actually about helping students self-govern.”
Donovan also confirmed that, at the request of law enforcement authorities, CSU will identify students of interest who appeared in any of the numerous videos of the riot posted on the Internet.
If the university identifies students violating the campus’ code of conduct, “…they will be notified that they have charges against them through the university conduct system, and they will have an opportunity to come and share their perspective during a university hearing,” Donovan said.
Inciting destruction of life or property, which Lt. Reed alleges took place, is a class six felony and typically carries a minimum penalty of one year in prison. Inciting a riot is a class one misdemeanor, which can also lead to jail time.
The party took place near Prospect Road and Westbridge Road, located west of Shields Street, five minutes walking distance from the southwest corner of CSU’s main campus.
Word of the event spread through social media sites like Facebook, said groups of students walking down Prospect Road after the party had been broken up.
“(I) don’t want the community to believe that this is typical behavior of our students,” Donovan said. “We have so many students doing so many great things,” adding that the negative actions of a number of individuals “really distracts from the wonderful Colorado State University community.”
News Editor Andrew Carrera and Senior Reporter Austin Briggs can be reached at news@collegian.com.
[flagallery gid=131 name=Gallery]
Fifteen police units and a SWAT van were spotted responding to a block party that a police officer said turned into an 800-person riot Saturday night, just blocks from the southwest corner of CSU’s campus.
Police had arrived at the scene at 8:30 p.m. in response to noise complaints about the event, which at the time included 50 people. After Fort Collins Police Services addressed the crowd and departed from the scene, hundreds more flocked to the six to seven condos apparently still hosting the party, shouting “F*** the police!” “Go CSU!” “Proud to be a Ram!” and “F*** CSUPD!” according to witnesses. Others saw partygoers climbing up streetlight poles, onto the roofs of multiple houses, and one car, swinging it back and forth, shouting “F*** CU!” and causing its roof and windshield to collapse.
Sources said the police looked on as the owner of the car frantically pulled people off right before tear gas was deployed to disperse the crowd of mostly CSU students.
“We heard bangs, the electricity went out and people started running,” said Nic Vasquez, a junior environmental health major who saw the scene unfold.
Partygoers and FCPS Lt. Russell Reed said that some attendees had begun throwing beer bottles at the police officers, none of whom were wearing helmets at the time. Reed said this prompted police to fire tear gas into the crowd before 11 p.m. and clear out the area by midnight.
“Yeah, I’d call that a riot,” he said. “When our officers have to use gas to get themselves out of a situation because of the immaturity of the crowd… yeah, that’s a riot.”
Click here to see CTV 11’s exclusive footage of the incident, and click here to see KCSU News Director Darin Hinman’s account of the incident.
While no officers were wounded, three people sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment, said FCPS Spokeswoman Rita Davis in a news release.
But not everyone who got hurt Saturday night visited the emergency room.
“I got gassed so bad –– I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe. I just started running away,” said senior business major Max Firth. He had gone to the party with four or five friends, left the scene, and came back just as the police showed up. Right after arriving, he said a tear gas canister went off right next to him, covering his face and body in the toxic gas.
Walking down Prospect Road after the party, one attendee who identified himself as Lex had a welt on his forehead that he said was from getting hit in the head with another canister.
Reed said there weren’t enough officers at the scene to make any arrests, but that a few were recording the mayhem on video and plan to use the footage to identify and apprehend the riot’s instigators.
The party hosts, on the other hand, may be harder to track down, he said. The crowd’s size makes it difficult for police to pinpoint exactly which house (or houses) actually hosted the evening’s festivities, and which houses were just filled with the overflow of attendees.
Inciting destruction of life or property, which the lieutenant alleges took place, is a class six felony and typically carries a minimum penalty of one year in prison. Inciting a riot is a class one misdemeanor, which can also lead to jail time.
At 10:50 p.m., the intersection of Prospect Road and Foxbrook Lane was blocked off with cones and a police officer, effectively shutting down Prospect Road for the next six blocks going west.
The party took place near Prospect Road and Westbridge Road, located west of Shields Street. It is five minutes walking distance from the southwest corner of CSU’s main campus.
The party spread through social media sites like Facebook, said groups of students walking down Prospect Road.
This story is developing. Stay with the Collegian for more updates. Send tips and photos to news@collegian.com.
Courtesy of Monica Nuiry
