By: ALLISSA CORAK
Over Halloween weekend, an argument at a party led to the discovery of a pistol in IU South Bend campus housing and the arrest of a student, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident, reported on Oct. 27, stemmed from an altercation at a party on St. Peter Street around 1:30 a.m. the same day.
Court documents allege the 21-year-old student and former IUSB basketball player, Andrew Jones, had been flirting with a female subject the victim brought to the party. The victim, identified as another IUSB student, told officers he whispered in Jones’ ear telling him to leave the female alone when Jones became aggressive and pushed him.
The probable cause affidavit reads, “The victim stated after Jones pushed him away, [Jones] reached down and pulled out a small black pistol and pointed it at him.”
South Bend Police Officers and campus police visited Jones’ residence on the university’s campus to inquire about his alleged possession of a handgun on campus, which is prohibited by the school.
According to official records, officers asked Jones where the pistol was and Jones replied, “At home.” The officer asked him a second time where the gun was and Jones allegedly admitted to police it was “in the living room, under the couch.”
Per the PCA, officers handcuffed Jones and sat him in a chair while they recovered a black pistol from under the couch.
Official charges of pointing a firearm, a level six felony, were filed on Oct. 30. Jones has since been released on a probationary term until his initial hearing scheduled for Nov. 7.
It is unclear if Jones has been removed as student. However, his name has been taken off the Men’s Basketball roster for the 2017-2018 season, but it is unconfirmed if that is a result of this incident.
Jones is the third basketball player arrested for an alleged violent crime within a year. Former players and students, Joseph Bannister and Phillip Corthen III, were arrested and charged with the reported rape of another student in July.
IUSB spokesperson Ken Baierl wrote in an email statement that “Andrew Jones is no longer a member of the IU South Bend men’s basketball team. Federal privacy laws prohibit providing any further information at this time.”
