Matt Wilson
Seven Attica High School students were called to the stand as the jury trial in the alleged hazing case against Travis Kirby began Tuesday in Fountain Circuit Court.Fountain County Prosecutor Mark McGrady filed misdemeanor charges against three members of Attica's 2001-02 basketball team — Kirby, Ryan Francis and one juvenile — Feb. 27 for battery and harassment of younger male athletes. Francis pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to a year on probation and 25 hours community service. Four counts of battery by body waste, three counts of battery causing bodily injury and three counts of battery were filed against Kirby. All the charges are misdemeanors. In some of those charges, it is alleged he placed human urine on students, threw soap in a student's eyes, hit students with hangers, punched a student in the kidney area and smacked a student in the scrotum.The prosecution presented its side of the case Tuesday and six Attica male students — Dusty Wickens, Jacob Wolfe, Tom Durr, Kyle Haley, Matt Bowers and Zach Gilmore — all testified they had been hazed in some fashion by Kirby. Attica student Jacob Payne was called as a witness and testified he saw Kirby hit Bowers.Court will be back in session 9 a.m. today. McGrady said he might have one more witness to call, but the remainder of the day will be used for defense attorney James R. Bunch, Attica, to present his side of the case. At the beginning of the trial, Bunch said he expected the trial to go on until Thursday. But because McGrady didn't take as long as Bunch expected to present his side of the case, Bunch said following Tuesday's testimony the case could be done today.In another ongoing matter, six younger-male Attica High School students — Haley, Bowers, Wolfe, Tyler Fisher, Josh Meador and Durr — have filed a case in federal court against Attica School Corp. Also listed as plaintiffs in the case are Scott and Lisa Haley, parents of Kyle Haley; Scott Bowers, father of Matt Bowers; Todd and Kristy Wolfe, parents of Jacob Wolfe; Cathy Jo Fisher, individually and as custodial parent of Tyler Fisher; Richard and Brenda Meador, parents of Josh Meador; and Douglas and Rose Durr, parents of Thomas Durr. Attica Principal Roy Jones and high school basketball coach and athletic director Pat Cole are listed as defendants in the case. The plantiffs' complaint says all the acts of harassment and hazing happened while the students were under direct supervision of Attica High School staff and the defendants failed to take disciplinary actions against the offending students.
