Penn State wrestler placed in pretrial program after resisting arrest charge
An All-American Penn State wrestler was accepted Wednesday into a pretrial intervention program after being charged in April for refusing to leave a fraternity, running from a police officer and resisting arrest while intoxicated.
Braeden G. Davis, 20, was placed under supervision for six months by Centre County Judge Julia Rater. He was also ordered to complete seven days of community service and pay $160 in restitution.
The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program is meant for nonviolent offenders who have no more than a limited criminal record. It is offered on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna.
Those who complete the program successfully may later seek to have their charges dismissed, while those who don’t may be prosecuted. The program does not require an admission of guilt.
State College police were dispatched about 1:30 a.m. March 29 to Tau Kappa Epsilon, 346 E. Prospect Ave., after Davis refused at least two requests by fraternity members and private security to leave, an officer wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
That was less than a week after Penn State wrestling won its fourth straight national championship, where Davis finished fifth nationally at 133 pounds.
The officer who questioned Davis said he smelled of alcohol and had glassy, bloodshot eyes. After being told he couldn’t go until he was identified, police said Davis ran but was caught about 10 yards away.
Davis then attempted to wrestle free while an officer told him to “Stop resisting,” police wrote. He complied after two more borough police officers arrived.
The officer who tussled with Davis said his wristwatch and radio earpiece were broken. His body-worn camera was also ripped off its mount and lying on the nearby ground, but was still recording, per the complaint.
A preliminary breath test showed Davis tested positive for alcohol. He was transported by ambulance to Mount Nittany Medical Center for an alcohol overdose, police wrote. His blood alcohol content was 0.225%.
He was charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, evading arrest and defiant trespass, as well as summary citations for underage drinking and public drunkenness.
Davis is heading into his junior season. He won four Michigan state championships in high school, before winning the Big Ten title (125 pounds) as a college freshman and earning All-America honors (133) as a sophomore.
Penn State Athletics said in April that it was aware of the charges and that the alleged actions “do not reflect the values and standards of our program and will be addressed.” The department declined further comment.