Three people indicted earlier this month in relation to a shooting at Urbana University made their initial court appearances in the Champaign County Common Pleas Court.
Ryon W. Lucas, Brandon J. Craft and Ryan M. Rowland appeared in court for initial arraignment hearings Thursday. The co-defendants are three of the five individuals indicted following a Nov. 6, 2018, situation at Urbana University that caused the university to be placed on lockdown.
A court statement previously filed in the Champaign County Municipal Court states an investigation showed Lucas, a student at Urbana University, made arrangements for Hunter Donnan, also an Urbana University student, to deliver and sell over 200 grams of marijuana to him in Sycamore Hall. Donnan and Craft came to the room and when this happened, the drugs were shown to Lucas by Craft.
The investigation showed Lucas intended to steal the drugs from Donnan and Craft.
An associate of Lucas, who was in the room with him during the attempted drug deal, brandished a handgun and struck Donnan in the head with the gun.
Craft had a loaded .22 caliber revolver in his waistband while completing the drug transaction. When he observed Donnan get hit, Craft started to pull his revolver from his waistline.
Lucas’ associate then struck Craft in the head two times, causing Craft to drop his revolver. When Lucas’ associate struck Craft in the head with the handgun, the gun fired.
Everyone in the room ran from the room and left the campus.
Urbana Police were dispatched to the campus in reference to a male running from campus across South High Street.
Donnan and Craft both received injuries to their heads from being struck with the handgun, but no one was struck by the bullet that was fired from the gun.
On Thursday, Lucas, 21, pleaded not guilty to two counts of felonious assault with one-year and three-year firearm specifications, and one count each of aggravated robbery with one-year and three-year firearm specifications and tampering with evidence. A case scheduling conference in his case is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Craft, 18, is charged with one count each of trafficking in marijuana with one-year and three-year firearm specifications and a specification for forfeiture of property and carrying a concealed weapon with a specification for forfeiture of property. On Thursday, he was found indigent by the court and his arraignment hearing will continue Monday.
Rowland, 20, is charged with one count of trafficking in marijuana with one-year and three-year firearm specifications. On Thursday, he informed the court he would retain his own legal representation and his arraignment hearing will continue on Feb. 5.
All three co-defendants were ordered to have no contact with the university or their respective co-defendants.
Donnan, 18, was indicted on one count each of trafficking in marijuana and trafficking in marijuana with one-year and three-year firearm specifications. Donnan is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a plea hearing.
Dioro C. Geroski Jr., 22, was also indicted on two counts of felonious assault with one-year and three-year firearm specifications and aggravated robbery with one-year and three-year firearm specifications.
