A Student Government Association senator was arrested about 1 a.m. Saturday after police said she was intoxicated and fought with officers.
Junior telecommunications major Andrea Watts, 21 of Westfield, also was charged with spitting on an officer at the jail.
Watts said she wanted to tell her side of the story but was advised by her lawyer not to talk about the case.
Police reports said Watts asked Ball State University police officer Robert Weller to not issue a citation for Matthew McCarthy after the men's volleyball player was found in the middle of University Avenue, talking on his cell phone without a shirt on after he had been drinking.
Weller placed McCarthy's license on the hood of his patrol car, and according to the report, Watts grabbed the license from the car. Weller ordered Watts to return the license, but she insisted she did not take the license, according to the report.
Weller said he eventually found the license in McCarthy's pocket, along with Watts' license and credit card. Watts was asked twice to stand next to Officer Shawn Ragland of the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, who was on the scene with Weller, and it was at that time when she started to become loud, according to the report.
When Watts did not comply with requests to calm down, she was placed under arrest, police said. On the way to the Delaware County Jail, Wells said, Watts became verbally abusive.
At the jail, Watts had a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 and spit on Officer Linda Ried of the jail staff, according to the report, Watts was charged with battery by bodily waste, a class D felony, and public intoxication and disorderly conduct, both class B misdemeanors.
If convicted of those charges, a class D felony would result in a fine up to $10,000 and six months to three years in jail. A class B misdemeanor would result in a fine up to $1,000 and up to 180 days in jail.
Watts was approved to Student Senate on April 22. She also ran for treasurer of the Andrews-Albritton '08 slate during the SGA elections Spring Semester and is a sorority member.
SGA President Frank Hood said he knew of one time when a SGA member resigned from the Senate because of an alcohol-related incident.
Upon learning of Watts' arrest, the Campus Alliance slate, whose members include Hood, Carrie Cozad, Ebony Strong and Moses Jones, released a statement that said it would not ask for Watts' resignation, but it believed members of any organization on campus should be held to a higher standard and be more accountable for their actions.
"As a result, our bylaws, as well as bylaws for many other organizations on campus, have set processes in case disciplinary actions may need to be levied towards a member of that organization," the slate members said in the statement. "The SGA bylaws state that in order to be a Senator, a student must 'be a member of his/her respective constituency', 'not be on academic probation', and 'maintain full time equivalency during his/her term in office.'"
According to the statement, the procedure for levying disciplinary actions against a member of the Executive, Legislative or Judicial Branch consists of a senator filing a petition signed by at least one-third of the voting body of Student Senate and delivering it to the presiding officer of Student Senate. At that time, an investigation committee will be formed consisting of all the chairpersons of the standing committees of Student Senate plus the parliamentarian, according to the statement.
The Campus Alliance slate said in the statement the investigation committee would investigate the charges of the petition and recommend to the Senate whether to dismiss the charges or take the charges to trial. Student Senate then votes on the recommendations the investigation committee gives. If the Student Senate decided to take the charges to trial, the Senate would review all the evidence and look into the possible disciplinary actions that may be levied against the accused member, according to the statement.
The most severe sanction that can be levied is removal from office, which requires a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate.
That means Campus Alliance is not able to "publicly, nor is going to privately, attempt to remove Andrea Watts from office or suggest that she should resign from her position as Senator in SGA's Student Senate," the slate said in the statement. "She will remain in her position unless she resigns on her own accord or the above process is followed and removal from office is the levied sanction."
Lynda Wiley, director of the Office of Student Life, said she agreed with those in leadership positions being held to a higher standard, and in the case of alcohol-related incidents, she and the SGA Campus Alliance slate members would investigate the matter, as is the case with any other student organization.
"I think it's appropriate to really look at all the details and ask the question 'is someone that carries a position [and] that's looked up to by students and usually has input on student issues [are they] making sure they're behavior is consistent with that role?'" Wiley said.
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