2 Cal U Football Players Charged In Attack Appear Before Judge
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Corey Ford, a California University of Pennsylvania football player, had a bond hearing Friday afternoon in connection with the assault of a West Chester man.
A Washington County judge agreed to reduce bond for Ford and James Williamson, two of the six former Cal U football players charged in the off-campus beating of 30-year-old Louis Campbell.
Williamson's bond was lowered from $500,000 to 10 percent of $50,000.
"He wasn't involved," said D. Scott Lautner, Williamson's attorney. "He was simply standing around the incident, that was it. He's never been in trouble with the law.
Ford's bond was dropped to $15,000.
"He gave him a $15,000 straight bond versus a $500,000 straight bond," said Phil DiLucente, Ford's attorney. "You're not supposed to have bonds for punishment purposes. It's so to ensure that he appears at the next hearing."
Police say Campbell was kicked and stomped into unconsciousness after he came to the defense of his girlfriend when she got into an argument with Ford.
But DiLucente says his client was never involved in the attack.
"He did not shove, kick, push, punch anyone on his own volition," said DiLucente. "If there was any type of action like that, it was purely defensive."
Video surveillance cameras captured pictures of the assault.
Lautner was told his client was not in the video.
"University officials that have seen it," he said. "The university officials are the officials that have identified people in the video."
At the time of the beating, Ford was awaiting sentencing after he plead guilty in a hit-and-run, driving under the influence case that severely injured a bicyclist in Washington, D.C.
A judge in Washington had agreed to revoke Ford's bond after his latest arrest, but he won't have to face that case until the one in Pennsylvania is over.
California University of Pennsylvania released a statement Friday saying it is looking for an independent third party review the football program.
"The participation of an independent third party is not meant as a reflection on any Cal U employee," interim University President Geraldine M. Jones said in a statement. "Instead, it is designed to protect the integrity of the review process and enhance the credibility of its findings as we examine every aspect of the football program."
You May Also Be Interested In These Latest News Stories
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
