UPDATE: On One of the Numerous River DRownings of Male Students
tinydancer
Associated Press
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) -- A University of Wisconsin-La Crosse freshman will be
charged Tuesday for lying to police investigating the death of fellow
student Lucas Homan last fall, acting La Crosse County Deputy District
Attorney Tim Gruenke said.
The student, a guard on the UW-La Crosse basketball team, lied about several
"important facts" during the investigation, Gruenke said.
Homan, 21, of Brookfield, also played basketball at the university. He
disappeared after drinking downtown during the city's Oktoberfest
celebration, and his body was pulled from the Mississippi River on Oct. 2.
He was the eighth college-aged man to drown in La Crosse area rivers since
1997.
His teammate will be charged with two misdemeanor counts of obstructing
officers, Gruenke said. He did not provide other details on the case, but
stressed that the student is not a suspect in Homan's death, which is still
under investigation.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/7846847.html
Ago@faraway JonesieCat
"tinydancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7Vi9i.28794$923....@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
Oh now what's going on here? More than meets the eye, surely?
jc
(not that I'm calling you Shirley)
tinydancer
"JonesieCat" <Long Ago@Far Away> wrote in message
news:4676498c$0$17155$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
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Student charged with obstruction in Luke Homan investigation
By ANNE JUNGEN / La Crosse Tribune
.
Austin Scott might have been the last person to see fellow University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse student and basketball player Lucas Homan alive,
authorities said.
Police bloodhounds traced Scott's scent from a downtown La Crosse bar
through Riverside Park directly to the spot where Homan's body was pulled
Oct. 2 from the Mississippi River three days after he disappeared.
Scott told investigators he last remembered "sitting at The Vibe (bar), I .
would never leave him in the water," according to police. He could not
elaborate.
Scott, 18, of Palatine, Ill., was charged Tuesday in La Crosse County
Circuit Court with two misdemeanor charges of obstructing officers.
Authorities stressed Scott is not thought to have been involved in Homan's
drowning. But the UW-L freshman is accused of giving police conflicting
accounts and lying over a two-week span about events the night Homan
disappeared.
Scott told UW-L police he had last seen an intoxicated Homan, 21, leave The
Vibe at 332 Jay St. alone about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 30, according to the
criminal complaint.
Scott told police Homan had a verbal altercation with a male bar patron.
Later that night, Scott said, the same patron punched Scott and fled,
according to the complaint.
But Homan's friends and others at UW-L's Sanford Hall where Scott lived said
he told them he had been cut when he was punched by a man arguing with
Homan, then that he had been hit with a beer bottle and three men were
involved, according to the complaint.
Scott was "upset and nervous" when La Crosse police questioned him during
the search for Homan, according to the complaint.
He said three men had argued with Homan on Sept. 29 at The Vibe, then
followed him out of the bar. The three men later returned to the bar and
struck Scott with the beer bottle, according to the complaint. Scott said he
left and immediately walked home.
Told by investigators the bar that night had sold beer in plastic rather
than glass bottles, Scott said he didn't know if his story about the three
men was accurate and could have been from a dream, according to the
complaint.
La Crosse police also had cited Scott for underage drinking near the
Radisson Hotel about 10 p.m. Sept. 29 and sent him to a hospital for
detoxification, according to the complaint.
The Radisson's night manager had waved down a mounted patrol officer that
night after seeing Scott come from the river area. Scott registered a
preliminary breath test of 0.26 percent and had a bleeding cut above his
eye, according to the complaint.
Scott told police it was possible they were near the river and Homan fell
in, but he had no recollection of what happened after he left the tavern or
how he got to the Radisson or hospital, according to the complaint.
He offered the story about the three men, Scott said, because he didn't know
what really happened and was concerned about Homan's friends and family,
according to the complaint.
Said Scott, "They don't know what happened to Luke. I don't, I don't know
what happened. I mean, I was there, so I'm, I'm suppose(d) to know, but I
don't," according to the complaint.
His best guess was Homan tripped, Scott said, adding, "I was just picturing
me and Luke sitting there. Just, just talking," according to the complaint.
Investigators noted Scott did not deny he might have been with Homan in
Riverside Park, "but he could not remember how Luke ended up in the water,"
according to the complaint.
Homan, of Brookfield, Wis., died as a result of cold water drowning, with
acute alcohol intoxication being a major contributing factor, according to
La Crosse County Medical Examiner John Steers. He had a 0.32 percent
blood-alcohol content. He was the eighth college-age male to drown in an
area river since 1997.
Scott's attorney appeared in court on his behalf Tuesday. His next court
appearance is set for 10 a.m. July 10.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/06/06/news/00lead.txt
Ago@faraway JonesieCat
So just charge him w/murder already. Doncha think? He did killed the guy
imo. LE just needs to figure out a specific charge I suppose. What are they
waiting for?
jc
tinydancer
"JonesieCat" <Long Ago@Far Away> wrote in message
I don't know, I've been trying to find more info on this one, more recent, I
mean.
td
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mscl...@aol.com
> "JonesieCat" <Long Ago@Far Away> wrote in messagenews:4676f9f3$0$14984$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
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this is ridiculous why would anyone do something like that to their
best friend. give austin a break seriously