TRACK AND FIELD: BSU runner arrested during party
Senior taken to jail on charge of resisting law enforcement
Kyle Shaner
Section: SPORTS
Originally published: 12/9/08 at 1:06 AM EST
Last update: 12/9/08 at 1:04 AM EST
A Ball State University track and field athlete was arrested Saturday after she reportedly scratched a police officer’s hand and cursed at him, according to the Muncie Police Department.
Lanae Stovall, a senior member of the track and field team, was arrested on the preliminary charge of resisting law enforcement about 12:50 a.m. Saturday at her apartment on North Street, police said.
According to the report, a couple of police officers were driving down North Street when they heard music from a loud party half a block away. When the officers went to the apartment they found about 75 people dancing and yelling in the apartment, outside on the balcony, on the stairs and on the front lawn.
No one at the party would get the person who leased the apartment or turn down the music, so the officers walked into the apartment and turned the music off. The officers then told everyone they had to leave if they did not live there.
Stovall, who was drunk, according to the report, then told the officers she lived at the apartment and was upset the police were called. The officers told Stovall they heard the music and it was too loud.
Stovall then became “extremely belligerent” when she realized she was getting a noise ordinance violation citation, according to the report.
Stovall’s boyfriend, Toby Shelton, then came into the living room, became angry and started yelling at the officers. Shelton was warned three times to calm down, but he refused and was handcuffed.
While the officers were searching Shelton, he asked if he could give Stovall a cell phone that was in his pocket. The officers said “yes” and asked if Stovall also wanted the money that was in her boyfriend’s pocket.
According to the report, Stovall then reached into her boyfriend’s pocket, which an officer still had his hand in, scratched the officer’s hand and yelled at the officer: “Yeah, motherf—er give me my money. Give it to me now.”
The officer then pulled Stovall’s hand out of Shelton’s pocket. Shelton became angry, tried to get out of the handcuffs and tried to yank away from the officer.
Stovall was then handcuffed and the officers took her and Shelton to the police car. Shelton tried to get away and Stovall yelled all the way to the car, police said. Both of them calmed down once they were in the police car.
At the Delaware County Jail, Shelton apologized several times and said he deserved to go to jail.
Stovall was released from jail at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday on $2,500 bond. If convicted of resisting law enforcement, which is a Class A misdemeanor, she could face up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
“The Ball State athletics department recently learned of an incident involving one of our student-athletes,” athletics director Tom Collins said in a press release. “We are gathering information at this time and will work with the student-athlete, the coach and the university to be sure appropriate action is taken if required.”
Stovall and coach Randy Heisler could not be reached for comment Monday.
Stovall runs hurdles and sprints for the Ball State track and field team. She finished 14th last year in the pentathlon at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and has the second-best score in the event in Ball State history.
Stovall is the sister of Peyton Stovall, a graduate assistant for the Ball State athletics department in marketing and promotions and a former Ball State men’s basketball player.