Spring Break
Police charge man with assault, disorderly conduct following fraternity rush event
Greg Gentile
Issue date: 2/10/09 Section: News
02/10/10 - University of Rhode Island campus police arrested Victor K. Parkinson, 21, of Providence, outside the Sigma Pi Fraternity on Saturday, for disorderly conduct and simple assault or battery.
According to police, around 5:40 a.m. they received a call from sophomore Matthew Sutherland saying there was a man, later identified as Parkinson, outside the fraternity house allegedly swinging a knife.
The incident occurred after a rush event, when many of the brothers were sleeping.
Sutherland said Parkinson seemed "pretty cool" when he talked to him earlier in the night, adding that no one in the fraternity really knew who Parkinson was or where he was from.
According to the Sigma Pi brothers, Parkinson was asked to leave the house at 5:30 a.m. After refusing, he began telling people that he was a rapper, explaining how "gangster he was," freshman Ben Eisner said.
Parkinson then took off his hat and began discussing its mink and fox fur. When Eisner pointed out to Parkinson that it was not mink and fox fur, Parkinson started "screaming how he was disrespected," Sutherland said.
"He got in my face and started calling me stupid," Eisner said. Junior Nate Carpenter walked out of his room onto the scene, where according to Carpenter, Parkinson "was just going crazy."
"Pretty quickly I decided that he had to get out of the house, and I took him by his shirt," Carpenter said. Though Carpenter said he had heard Parkinson had a knife, he did not think it would be used.
Once outside, Parkinson allegedly pulled out a chrome pocket knife and began to swing it, barely missing Carpenter, who fell backwards through an entrance to the fraternity. Because he fell, the knife hit the door - not Carpenter, he said.
Parkinson missed sophomore Kyle Murray, who was trying to calm Parkinson down, and then allegedly landed the butt of the knife to the side of Sutherland's head.
At this time, Sutherland called the police. One SUV and two cruisers pulled into Fraternity Circle, where a crowd was forming. Police instructed Parkinson to remove his hands from his pockets and place his hands on the police car.
When they patted him down, an officer found the pocket knife.
Police found no alcohol or drugs on Parkinson, or in the fraternity house after doing a run through. Whether Parkinson was under the influence has yet to be determined.
Once detained by the police, Parkinson was taken to South County Hospital by URI Emergency Medical Services. According to campus police reports, he sustained a half-inch cut on his finger and chest pains.
Police said Parkinson had been hit in the chest with a baseball bat.
According to police, around 5:40 a.m. they received a call from sophomore Matthew Sutherland saying there was a man, later identified as Parkinson, outside the fraternity house allegedly swinging a knife.
The incident occurred after a rush event, when many of the brothers were sleeping.
Sutherland said Parkinson seemed "pretty cool" when he talked to him earlier in the night, adding that no one in the fraternity really knew who Parkinson was or where he was from.
According to the Sigma Pi brothers, Parkinson was asked to leave the house at 5:30 a.m. After refusing, he began telling people that he was a rapper, explaining how "gangster he was," freshman Ben Eisner said.
Parkinson then took off his hat and began discussing its mink and fox fur. When Eisner pointed out to Parkinson that it was not mink and fox fur, Parkinson started "screaming how he was disrespected," Sutherland said.
"He got in my face and started calling me stupid," Eisner said. Junior Nate Carpenter walked out of his room onto the scene, where according to Carpenter, Parkinson "was just going crazy."
"Pretty quickly I decided that he had to get out of the house, and I took him by his shirt," Carpenter said. Though Carpenter said he had heard Parkinson had a knife, he did not think it would be used.
Once outside, Parkinson allegedly pulled out a chrome pocket knife and began to swing it, barely missing Carpenter, who fell backwards through an entrance to the fraternity. Because he fell, the knife hit the door - not Carpenter, he said.
Parkinson missed sophomore Kyle Murray, who was trying to calm Parkinson down, and then allegedly landed the butt of the knife to the side of Sutherland's head.
At this time, Sutherland called the police. One SUV and two cruisers pulled into Fraternity Circle, where a crowd was forming. Police instructed Parkinson to remove his hands from his pockets and place his hands on the police car.
When they patted him down, an officer found the pocket knife.
Police found no alcohol or drugs on Parkinson, or in the fraternity house after doing a run through. Whether Parkinson was under the influence has yet to be determined.
Once detained by the police, Parkinson was taken to South County Hospital by URI Emergency Medical Services. According to campus police reports, he sustained a half-inch cut on his finger and chest pains.
Police said Parkinson had been hit in the chest with a baseball bat.
