LHU Wrestler Marsteller Jailed, Reported Off Team after School/Lock Haven Hospital Incidents
Marsteller, 21, was arraigned before magisterial district judge John Maggs by video from the correctional facility. He is jailed there in default of $50,000 monetary bail, charged with six counts of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct/fighting, six counts of recklessly endangering another, six counts of simple assault and one count of open lewdness.
The Lock Haven police affidavit of probable cause paints a difficult night for officers responding to the two separate incidents involving the York County native, finally resorting to a tranquilizing agent to end what police allege was his violent resistance at the hospital.
The city police criminal complaint says the first incident occurred at 11:35 p.m. Thursday when Marsteller was observed by others allegedly running door to door at the apartments of Evergreen Commons, a student housing facility, knocking on doors while naked.
Police responded and their report said Marsteller began to argue with them about obtaining his identification. Police at that point said they handcuffed him behind his back and placed a towel around him.
He was placed in a patrol car, police said, with the intent to take him to the county prison. But he allegedly engaged “in threatening officers and screaming obscenities;” he also slammed his head against a partition several times. Their report said while transporting him he resumed slamming his head and they had to resort to pepper spray to “successfully get him to cease harming himself.” After that police said they took him to the Lock Haven Hospital emergency room to “detoxify him.”
A further disturbance occurred there, the police report said, and included an effort to “violently lunge off the bed from his sitting position” at the ER staff member on duty, but officers intercepted him.
Two city police officers attempted to restrain the accused by “proning him out on the floor.” The incident continued with Marsteller allegedly refusing to be restrained while “kicking, elbowing, biting, head-butting, splitting blood.” An LHU police officer and two state troopers were summoned to lend assistance. During the altercation, city police said, the “ER staff did inject Marsteller with several doses of tranquilizing agent. Marsteller did continue to violently resist until those drugs took full effect at approximately 1 a.m.”
A Lock Haven University spokesman later told the media that Marsteller is off the school’s wrestling team. Marsteller, an undefeated high school wrestler, transferred from Oklahoma State to Lock Haven for the upcoming season. He had been dismissed from the OSU team last winter for reported team rules violations.
He was one of the most sought-after high school wrestlers in the nation two years ago. Marsteller joined the LHU program in May of this year and was a runner-up at the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio in June.
