2 ex-Belmont Abbey basketball players found guilty, 1 acquitted in Halloween assault
Two former Belmont Abbey basketball players were convicted of assault-related charges on Friday and a third player was acquitted, Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page said Saturday.
Darius Kane, Isaiah Josue and Darryl Holloway were each charged with assault on a female and assault and battery stemming from an on-campus incident on Halloween, Page said.
After a two-day bench trial, District Court judge Michael Lands found Josue guilty of the charges and Holloway not guilty. Josue was sentenced to 60 days in jail, suspended for 18 months of probation, and was ordered to pay $1,006.13 in restitution to the victim.
Lands found Kane guilty of assault and battery and sentenced him to 30 days in jail, suspended for a year of unsupervised probation.
Assistant District Attorney Rachael Merritt prosecuted the cases.
Charges dropped against five players
Initially, campus police charged nine players, Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC reported Dec. 6. 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.