Authorities have dropped a felony aggravated assault charge against a Penn State hockey star, while prosecution for other charges moves forward.
Forward Gavin McKenna was accused of punching a person twice in the face and fracturing their jaw after an exchange of words Jan. 31, court documents show.
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In a release Friday, the Centre County District Attorney’s Office said State College police confirmed the victim suffered two fractures to one side of his jaw, and not both sides of his jaw. He is not missing a tooth and is now recovering after surgery.
The DA’s office said that, to establish probable cause for aggravated assault, the state must show a person “acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances showing an extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
After reviewing video evidence, the DA’s office and State College police decided that an aggravated assault charge is not supported.
“Accordingly, the District Attorney’s Office will be withdrawing the felony count of Aggravated Assault and correcting the record regarding the injuries suffered by the victim,” the release says.
Although the aggravated assault charge has been dropped, the office said prosecution will go forward with the misdemeanor simple assault and other summary charges.
Projected as the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL draft, McKenna scored 11 goals and added 21 assists during his first season with the Nittany Lions, Sports Illustrated reported.
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