WESTFIELD – Classes hadn’t even begun for the fall semester yet when two Westfield State students were arrested and charged with assault.
Each defendant, Ryan S. Willis, 21, of Westfield and Keva M. Clay, Jr., 21 of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was released in lieu of $500 personal surety after being arraigned in Westfield District Court Tuesday.
Willis is charged with armed assault in a dwelling and assault and battery with serious bodily injury (accomplice) and Clay is charged with assault and battery with serious bodily injury and armed assault in a dwelling.
Police were called to 14 Franklin Street just past 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning by the victim’s girlfriend who reported a fight outside of the Kellogg House on Franklin Street across from CVS.
A female witness told police that she had tried to get Willis, who had arrived with two friends, one identified as Clay, to leave because he wasn’t allowed at 14 Franklin Street.
She told police that Willis allegedly pulled out a knife, but after some joking around, put the knife away, according to Westfield Police Officer Melissa Burns’ report. Allegedly Willis brandished the knife again a short time later before leaving.
The witness told police that Willis’ two friends had beat up a man, who she said is the current boyfriend of Willis’s ex-girlfriend, Burns wrote.
Police tried to gain entry to 14 Franklin Street where they could hear a woman screaming. At around 1 a.m., police entered the residence through a window where they found the assault victim, who was transported to Baystate Noble Hospital.
He suffered a damaged eye socket and the loss of several teeth as a result of the assault, according to court records.
Westfield Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Shapiro said that Willis was in possession of a knife and Clay had blood and cuts on him when they were arrested around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Shapiro requested $500 cash bail, but Westfield District Judge William O’Grady released the defendants on $500 cash surety, meaning no cash had to be put forth before they were released.
Clay’s attorney, Chris Parker, said that Clay is a scholarship student and senior at Westfield State University and lives on campus. He pointed out for the judge Clay’s parents who were in the courtroom along with a third party witness.
“It was a big brawl that Clay didn’t initiate. He was just caught up in it,” said Parker of his client.
Attorney Gary Beekmann, who represented Willis in court, said that his client is a junior at Westfield State University with family in central Massachusetts.
“The alleged victim declined to make a statement to police,” Beekmann said, “I expect a radically different story to come out.”
Beekmann was granted an Ex Parte motion, which provides $500 from the Commonwealth for the defense to obtain the services of an expert/investigator to locate and examine evidence.
O’Grady gave each defendant pretrial conditions, which include staying away from the victim, staying away from 14 Franklin Street and not leaving Massachusetts without permission of their probation officer.
“For two guys with no records, you sure jumped into the fray with some pretty serious charges,” O’Grady told the defendants.
Both defendants are due back in court on November 4 for a pretrial hearing.
According to the WSU student handbook, the university has jurisdiction over crimes committed by students off campus.
The handbook states: “When a criminal violation is committed off campus and a court conviction ensues, the violator may be subject to the Board’s disciplinary jurisdiction if the University President/designee determines that the criminal violation interferes with the integrity of the University’s rightful responsibilities and activities.
“Further, an off-campus criminal violation, regardless of any court status, may subject the alleged violator to the Board’s disciplinary jurisdiction if the University President/designee at his/her discretion determines that the alleged violator constitutes a danger to persons or property on or off campus or has engaged in off-campus conduct that affects the welfare of the campus community.”
WSU’s Public Affairs Spokeswoman Molly C. Watson released the following statement:
“While we cannot comment on an open investigation, we have zero tolerance for the alleged behavior, which in no way reflects the tone of the campus. We do have jurisdiction to follow up incidents that occur downtown with an on campus investigation. Anyone, including our students should be held accountable for illegal behavior. Westfield State is committed to fostering a safe environment for students, which enables them to become global citizens who contribute to their communities like the 150 first-year students who volunteered their time Tuesday morning to support and serve various local schools, businesses, and non-profits as part of Westfield State’s 6th annual HOOT (Helping Out Our Town) Day.”
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
