Andy Roof may face felonies

PULLMAN – Police expect to recommend felony charges against Washington State defensive tackle Andy Roof for multiple alleged assaults over the weekend.

One man suffered broken facial bones in a fight outside a private party early Saturday on College Hill, said Pullman police Cmdr. Chris Tennant. The victim, who later checked himself into Pullman Regional Hospital, told police he went unconscious after Roof allegedly punched him unprovoked.

“(Monday) night, the guy that went unconscious went in and interviewed with our officers, and provided medical records and X-rays that showed broken bones,” Tennant said.

Tennant confirmed that the fight moved down the 400 block of N. Colorado St., where Roof allegedly smashed a man’s face into the sharp edge of a stop sign. That incident accounts for one of the pending felony recommendations, Tennant said.

Pullman Police officers arrested Roof on suspicion of fourth-degree assault and noted he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, though he was not given a breathalyzer test, Tennant said. Roof was kept in a holding cell for several hours to sober up, then was released. Nobody else was arrested.

But the police investigation is pointing to alleged crimes more serious than misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. An assault that results in broken bones usually merits a felony second-degree charge, Tennant said.

“Our investigation is criminal in the fact, ‘Did Andy Roof hit this person and how much damage did he cause this person?’ ” Tennant said.

Police hope to wrap up their investigation by Friday before WSU students leave town for summer vacation, but Tennant said it could take longer.

Roof, 22, was trying to get into a private party before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, police allege, but the partygoers would not let in the 6-foot-5, 300-pound football player.

A fight broke out when Roof allegedly head-butted the door bouncer, Tennant said.

WSU redshirt senior Roof was suspended from the university for fall semester after he committed three alcohol offenses. He returned to Pullman in January after going through rehab and working at a Bally’s Total Fitness in Auburn, a suburb of Tacoma.

“Now that I get that second chance, I just want to show everyone that I’m not a screw-up,” Roof told The Spokesman-Review early this month. “That I am serious, that I want to be here, I want to be a part of this team and I want to play football.

“You know, I think the best way to do that is to keep that sober lifestyle.”

Cougars football spokesman Bill Stevens said the coaches are aware of the weekend’s incident and are in the process of gathering enough information to take appropriate action.

Then there’s the WSU Office of Student Conduct, which would most likely take on the case.

“For any offense that a student might find him or herself in, the seriousness of the allegation dictates … how it can be resolved,” said Chris Wuthrich, the office’s associate director,

Speaking hypothetically, Wuthrich said more serious offenses – “I think what you would consider felony crimes” – would go before a student conduct board, which would then decide how to sanction a student.

Roof was unavailable for comment through WSU athletics.