Two Michigan State hockey players await arraignment

Kozakowski

Adams

Two Michigan State hockey players will face arraignment on misdemeanor charges soon, Captain Thomas Wibert of the East Lansing Police said yesterday.

Senior forward Bryan Adams and senior defenseman Jeff Kozakowski have not yet been served warrants - meaning they haven't officially been notified to turn themselves in - but they will have an arraignment hearing as soon as the attorneys in the case set a date.

The warrant charges Kozakowski on three counts - assault and battery, malicious destruction of property and illegal entry.

According to the warrant, Adams will be charged on two counts - malicious destruction of property and illegal entry.

Kozakowski could face a penalty of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine for the assault and battery charges. He and Adams also face 90 days in jail and a $100 fine for the other two charges.

The warrants stem from a Sept. 18, 1998 incident in which the East Lansing Police received a 911 call around 3:30 a.m.

Wibert said officers responded to the complaint at the 500 block of M.A.C. Avenue in East Lansing. The caller said a group of subjects had broken into the residence through the back door and started to assault people and destroy the furniture inside.

Lamps, a coffee table and other furniture were damaged, Wibert said.

Michigan State coach Ron Mason said in a press conference yesterday that the actions of his players were in response to an assault against one of their teammates.

"What really happened was that our players responded to one of their teammates who had been badly beaten up and sent to the hospital," Mason said.

Wibert said the original assault in question was also investigated.

"We investigated it, but we were unable to identify the subject involved," Wibert said.

Neither Wibert nor Michigan State officials would release the name of the player whose alleged assault led to the crimes.

Wibert added that many of the subjects were intoxicated.

"It was apparent that both sides were drinking," Wibert said. "The level of intoxication was a factor in not more suspects being identified."

Witnesses could not pinpoint the exact number of subjects, but did estimate that around 12 to 15 people fled the scene, Wibert said.

Witness identifications led to the charges against the two players.

In response to the warrants, Kozakowski and Adams hired an attorney on campus, who will discuss an arraignment date with prosecutors.

Mason said no further punitive action inside the Michigan State hockey program will be taken against the players.

"First of all, this incident occurred in September before our season started, and I dealt with it at this time," Mason said. "There will be nothing further done internally to the players in question."

Mason also said he understands that Kozakowski and Adams intend to enter not-guilty pleas.

02-26-99