Student acquitted of assaulting former officer

and Jeremy Kahn A Philadelphia Municipal Court judge found College sophomore Scott Schuman not guilty yesterday of assaulting former University Police Officer Mary Terry. Schuman was initially charged with the felony of aggravated assault after allegedly striking Terry in the jaw during a drunken altercation with a Quadrangle residential advisor on the eve of Spring Fling in April. The charge was later dropped and replaced with the three misdemeanor charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. College senior Christopher Robbins, who was the RA on duty for Community House in the Quad April 21, testified yesterday that he saw Schuman entering the Quad carrying a six-pack of beer. Robbins said he attempted to cite Schuman, who was underage, for the violation but that Schuman refused to surrender his PennCard. Following a brief altercation, Robbins called University Police. Terry testified that she responded to the call and that Schuman also refused to give her his identification. In the ensuing argument, Terry testified that Schuman punched her in the jaw. Also while on the stand, Terry -- who was recently fired from the police force -- accused University Police Chief George Clisby of attempting to quash a subpoena by ordering her not to testify in the case. Terry said Clisby asked her to drop the charges against Schuman several times, but that she refused. Clisby is on vacation and could not be reached for comment. Schuman testified that he never struck Terry and claimed he was arrested without cause, spending the next day locked in a holding cell at Southwest Detectives awaiting arraignment. Five character witnesses, including Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel, Schuman's parents and his former Quadrangle RA Lauren Slawe testified that Schuman was an upstanding member of the community who had never been in trouble before or since his arrest. Municipal Judge Martin Bashoff later cited the strength of these character witnesses in his decision to acquit Schuman. Schuman said last night that he was happy to be acquitted, but was still bitter about spending Spring Fling in jail. He said his case should have been handled internally by the University, not by the courts.

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