Nicolas Sarano, ’18, has been identified as the student who slashed the arm and leg of fellow student Liam Walsh, ’16, in an altercation which took place around midnight Nov. 14 on Brodhead Avenue, according to court records.
Records say Sarano has been charged with simple assault, aggravated assault, harassment and possession of an instrument of crime with intent.
Sarano’s arrest was made by the Bethlehem Police Department, and he was arraigned in Northampton County Prison under $35,000 bail with a 10 percent option. Sarano was able to post bail and was released Monday.
According to police reports, Sarano told police he did not know Walsh – just that he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity – when the incident took place.
After words were exchanged between the two students, Sarano used a straight razor, which he told police he had been carrying throughout the evening, leaving Walsh with a five- to six-inch laceration about one inch wide on his right leg.
After the incident, witness Parrish McClain Jr. called police reporting that he hadn’t seen the exchange occur, but that he heard Walsh shouting he had been stabbed.
According to reports, Sarano told police that after the incident occurred “he packed a backpack and left his home to walk around and clear his head.” It wasn’t until he saw the email from the Lehigh University Police Department alerting students of the incident that he decided to go to the university police station around 4:45 a.m.
Sarano was taken in by officer William Audelo to the Northampton County Prison around 5:11 a.m. Sarano told police Walsh had been the initial aggressor, according to reports.
Both students were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital where police reports indicate Walsh was intoxicated but Sarano was not.
Lori Friedman, the director of media relations, confirmed that Sarano is still enrolled in the university and that the University’s Office of Student Conduct & Community Expectations will further investigate the case to determine whether Sarano has violated the Student Code of Conduct.
Sarano’s preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. and will be heard before Magisterial District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez.
1 Comment
Not that I’m defending Nicolas or his actions (I don’t even know him), but the first line of the article is wildly incorrect in stating, “Nicolas Sarano, ’18, has been identified as the student guilty for slashing the arm and leg of fellow student…” He was arraigned on those charges, meaning a criminal complaint was brought against him by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but he certainly hasn’t been found guilty of those charges as you wrote. The most basic tenet of our criminal justice system is that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by the evidence presented by the government (i.e., the prosecution). At this point, the court and the records that you cite in no way state that Nicolas is, in fact, guilty of the crimes alleged. I hope that The Brown and White staff conducts themselves more responsibly moving forward in the way in which they research, write, and edit their pieces.
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