A felony charge of aggravated assault against Penn State defensive tackle Philip Taylor was thrown out today by a district judge who bound lesser charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment over for trial in county court.
The only witness presented by the prosecution was the alleged victim, who testified that Taylor punched him during an altercation outside a fraternity dance at Heritage Hall on Oct. 7. Police have said the victim exchanged words with Taylor's teammate, Navorro Bowman, at the dance, then left the dance and was followed by a group of football players who surrounded him and beat, kick and stomped him.
District Judge Jonathan Grine, however, ruled that the punch didn't rise to the level needed to justify a charge of aggravated assault and dismissed that charge at Taylor's preliminary hearing this morning.
Also charged in the Oct. 7 incident are Nittany Lions Chris Baker and Navorro Bowman. Both face charges of aggravated assault, a felony, simple assault and harassment, misdemeanors, and disorderly conduct, a summary offense.
For the rest of this article please check out www.centredaily.com
