BELCHERTOWN — A University of Massachusetts student from Chelmsford received 20 hours of community service in court Tuesday for his role in a post-Super Bowl riot last month on the Amherst campus.
Joseph D. Neylon, 19, appeared in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown along with Jordan E. Ortiz, 22, of Marshfield, another of the seven UMass students facing charges from the Feb. 4 incident.
In addition to community service, Neylon’s case was continued without a guilty finding for six months, until Sept. 24.
Meanwhile, Ortiz’s lawyer motioned to dismiss his charges of disorderly conduct, rioting and failure to disperse. The court agreed to continue his case without finding until another court appearance on May 3.
Neylon was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, after officers saw him attempting to fight several other students and dumping a garbage can on another’s head. Neylon allegedly attempted to escape from a UMass officer placing him under arrest, struggled and caused both to fall on the ground.
According to police reports, between 800 and 1,000 students gathered in the area outside the Berkshire Dining Commons around 10:15 p.m. after the New England Patriots’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Police deemed the crowd unsafe after observing students destroying property, fighting, lighting firecrackers and throwing bottles.
After multiple orders to disperse, police in riot gear formed a line to push back the crowd, and used pepper spray to clear the premises. Vandalism, mostly to residence halls and bathrooms, caused an estimated $2,685 in damages, according to a statement from UMass spokeswoman Mary Dettloff.
Medical aid was requested for people with head injuries, lacerations and alcohol intoxication, and the Amherst Fire Department said ambulances transported seven people to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
Another of the students arrested, Marc A. Griffiths, of West Brookfield, appeared in court last week. He was sentenced to four months of probation on a charge of disorderly conduct. The charge will be dismissed in July pending Griffiths’ compliance with several conditions imposed by the court in addition to the probation.
The remaining four UMass students who were arrested in connection to the riot are all due to appear in court over the next several weeks.