Student arrested, charged with disorderly conduct off campus

A university student could face up to 60 days in jail after allegedly picking up and throwing a construction barrel and a Washington Examiner newspaper box along College Avenue early last Wednesday, police said.

University Police charged 21-year-old Colin McKevitt, of Laurel, with disorderly conduct, spokesman Paul Dillon said.

According to Dillon, a university police officer went to investigate a crashing noise in the 4500 block of College Avenue — just across Route 1 from the university in downtown College Park — and saw a man drop the red metal newspaper box into the street.

The man, with a companion, then began carrying around a construction barrel and ran away when the officer told him to stop, Dillon said. Police then caught up to McKevitt nearby on Princeton Avenue.

McKevitt's non-student companion — Alexander Frederick Boyd, 21 — did not run from the officer and was also charged, Dillon said, adding that "alcohol was involved."

A disorderly conduct conviction has a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail, Dillon said. McKevitt will face no academic consequences because the alleged incident occurred off the campus, he added.

In another disorderly conduct incident, junior Joseph McQuillen pleaded guilty earlier this month for participating in the riot that followed the March 3 Duke basketball game.

McQuillen accepted a plea bargain in which his $500 fine and 60-day sentence are suspended, meaning that he only needs to pay and serve jail time if he is convicted of repeating the offense. He must also pay court costs and perform 20 hours of community service, according to Joseph Lamari, his attorney.

On the night of the riot, McQuillen was seen attempting to light a Duke jersey on fire and, after failing, throwing his own T-shirt into an already burning trash can.

While Lamari admits what his client did was wrong, he said McQuillen "was a minor participant in the grand scheme of things" who found himself facing stiff legal and academic consequences.

It's not unusual for students to get arrested, Dillon said, with alcohol violations and drug possession as the most frequent offenses. But it's less common for police to need to take them into custody, he added, because many lawbreakers simply receive citations.

Dillon said students need to remember that participating in certain activities — especially if they've been drinking — could lead to their arrest.

"Don't get involved," he said. Following that advice "lessens your chances of getting in trouble."

After following McQuillen's experience, Lamari echoed Dillon's advice.

"When you see something like this going on, just lay back and chill," Lamari said. "Anyone can have a lot more fun without the police being involved."

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