Fight brings arrest

By Clint Gendusa

A serious fight resulting in the arrest of one person broke out late Tuesday night in the lobby of Gilbert Hall but led to no major injuries.

The three men involved in the fight, including two NIU students, were all treated and released from Kishwaukee Hospital after the incident.

The two alleged victims were treated for bites on the arm and neck, as well as other bumps and bruises administered by the suspect when University Police broke up the fight.

According to UP reports, Phil Hogan of DeKalb was arrested when a complaint was signed by the two victims, who are roommates in Gilbert Hall. The report stated Hogan came to Gilbert Hall looking for a fight and threw the first punch.

“My roommate and I were in the lobby getting something to drink at about midnight when Hogan approached us and started talking for 20 minutes about a previous incident,” said one victim.

“He then became argumentative and wanted us to go with him outside. We refused and he immediately started throwing punches.”

The two victims claimed Hogan has been harassing them since early last semester.

“It all started last semester when Hogan accused us of making prank phone calls to him, and then two weeks ago he started leaving threatening messages on our answering machine because his girlfriend, who lives in Gilbert, said that we were talking smack about him. And now this incident,” the victim said.

The victims had complained to the staff assistant in Gilbert Hall about the harassing messages on their answering machine but didn’t expect Hogan to show up and start a fight.

The victims said Hogan moved to DeKalb because his girlfriend goes to NIU, but they said Hogan is not a student at NIU.

Hogan was allowed inside Gilbert Hall even though the security doors were locked because he claimed he needed to use the telephone.

Gilbert staff assistants tried to break up the fight before the UP arrived but were unsuccessful, and the police were forced to physically stop the fight.

The Star’s efforts to contact the UP were met with unsuccessful results. Also, representatives from the University Judicial Office were unavailable for comment.

Gilbert’s resident staff assistant who was on duty when Hogan entered the building would not comment on the incident.