Judge hears testimony in trials involving alleged race-related uptown melee

Several of the defendants from a June uptown disturbance appeared for trial in Athens County Municipal Court Wednesday, but one of the trials and the judge's ruling on the cases were continued until Sept. 24. Kendall Frenche, Sam Smyth, Ronny Muasher, Amy Thomas and Lauren Norton were all arrested the morning of June 4 after a large crowd formed on Court Street following a fight in front of Evolution, 19 S. Court St. Their trials began Wednesday afternoon. At the time of their arrests, all five defendants were Ohio University students. In the wake of the June 4 disturbance, several of the defendants charged that police actions that morning, including use of a Taser stun gun against one defendant, were motivated by race. Most of the defendants are black or minorities. [more ]