Arrests ordered for 3 Belmont Abbey students who failed to appear in court in assault case
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 7, 2025 and Aug. 25, 2025, with new information about the status of one of the defendants.
A judge ordered the arrest of three Belmont Abbey College men’s basketball players who failed to appear in court Thursday on assault charges stemming from an on-campus Halloween party.
Daryl Holloway, Darius Kane and a third defendant were no-shows for their 8:30 a.m. hearings in First Appearance Court in Gaston County District Court.
“I’m really shocked,” Judge Gregory Costner told The Charlotte Observer in the courtroom after the morning session ended. “No one’s reached out to me.”
Typically, a defense lawyer will email him to say they are representing the accused person, Costner said. The judge said he then schedules the trial date without the defendant having to make the first appearance.
Emails are due by 10 a.m. the date of the first court appearance, Costner said.
The judge said he did receive an email from a lawyer representing Isaiah Josue, the fourth Belmont Abbey College men’s basketball player charged in the case. Costner said he scheduled Josue’s trial for 8:30 a.m. March 5.
Charges dropped against five players
Each of the four students is charged with two counts each of assault on a female and assault and battery, court records show.
Initially, campus police charged nine players, Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC reported Dec. 9. Within days, charges were dropped against five of the players. “Misidentified by victim,” prosecutors wrote in each dismissal form, the station reported.
Parents of the players against whom charges were dropped demanded an apology they’ve yet to receive from the school, WSOC reported.
Belmont Abbey College is a private Catholic liberal arts school in Belmont, Gaston County, 13 1/2 miles west of Charlotte. The school has about 1,650 students.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM.