Come on, they couldn't let him spend the night with his new wife?
------ Police Charge 11 in Wedding Party Brawl
NEW YORK - A groom spent his wedding night in jail with his father, his brother his father-in-law and seven other members of his wedding party after the group allegedly brawled with another bridal party and police, according to a published report.
Police arrested the groom, Joseph Fortunato Jr., 29, and the ten others after officers were called to break up the melee at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, Saturday, according to an article appearing in Thursday's editions of the Daily News.
The altercation reportedly began with a case of mistaken identity. A member of the second wedding party confronted Fortunato's best man, believing him to be a wedding photographer, who had absconded. The best man allegedly responded with force sparking a bench-clearer.
"Everybody's fighting everybody," White Plains police spokesman Martin Gleeson told the Daily News. "And both brides are kind of walking around helpless like, 'This is my wedding? I can't believe this is happening!'"
After police intervened by arresting Fortunato, the other members of his wedding party objected violently, leading to their arrests. The eleven suspects, all from Fortunato's party, were charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and first-degree riot, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
They were released on bail Sunday.
Police said the melee caused $2,000 of damage to the hotel.
"We believe the event may have been alcohol-driven," Gleeson told the Daily News.
RAPID CITY - An apparent bachelor-party-gone-bad the night before the wedding ended with the arrest of the groom for driving under the influence and the best man for trying to steal a deputy sheriff's patrol car and breaking a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper's leg.
David Earl Scott, 22, New Underwood, and Shadrach Franklin Howie, 21, Rapid Valley, were arrested on Sept. 3 at the end of an incident that started about 11:30 p.m. Sept. 2, when a citizen called law enforcement to report a reckless driver in Rapid Valley.
Trooper Kevin Kinney found the vehicle with the help of the caller and pulled the driver over at 23415 Bradsky Road. When the two occupants of the suspect's white Ford pickup fled on foot into a field, Kinney called for help.
Pennington County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Mueller and Deputy Greg Foster were dispatched to assist. Kinney reported that while he was waiting for help, the occupants of the vehicle approached him on a red Yamaha Big Bear four-wheeler.
Afraid he would be run over, Kinney got into his patrol car, and the four-wheeler, driven by Howie, came within 2 inches of ramming his car, Kinney wrote in his report. He ordered the two men to get off the four-wheeler, but they drove off, Kinney said.
After Mueller and Foster arrived, the three law officers searched for the two men, and Mueller drove his vehicle on a private road north of the home where the trooper had stopped the pickup. He reported that he heard Kinney yell something and heard Foster radio that someone had tried to steal his patrol car.
When Mueller returned to where Kinney and Foster were, he saw Kinney "severely limping."
Kinney wrote in his report that he had left his car running with the doors locked and that Foster left his car unlocked with the engine off and keys removed. Kinney saw Howie in Foster's car and tried to pull him out, but Howie slammed the car door into Kinney's knee and then fled, the trooper reported.
Kinney tried to give chase but fell down after 10 to 15 feet because of his injury, he said.
The two deputies saw Howie run into a barbed-wire fence, fall down, get back up and continue running, Mueller reported. The two deputies chased on foot for some distance, and then Kinney, in his patrol car, started chasing Howie also.
Kinney called out to Howie over his PA system, telling him to stop, but Howie kept going, Mueller reported. At one point, Howie ran into the side of the patrol car but kept running, and Kinney pushed Howie for a few feet with the front of the car, Mueller said.
Mueller managed to grab Howie by the neck and take him to the ground, but when he ordered Howie to put his hands behind his head, Howie tucked his arms under his body, Mueller said. Howie shouted obscenities at Mueller, and Foster and struggled while the deputies handcuffed him, Mueller reported.
After Howie was restrained, Scott approached Kinney and was apologetic. He said that he was scheduled to get married the next day and that Howie was his best man.
According to a Highway Patrol news release, Kinney suffered a fracture of the left knee and will be on extended sick leave.
Howie is charged with two felonies — aggravated assault and attempted grand theft — and with three misdemeanors — DUI, resisting arrest and obstructing law enforcement officers. Scott is charged with DUI, a misdemeanor, according to information provided by the Pennington County State's Attorney's Office.
Both men are scheduled to make an initial appearance in 7th Circuit Magistrate Court on Sept. 19.
Contact Vicky Wicks at 394-8318 or vicky.wicks@rapidcityjournal.com
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Sometimes, when i'm lonely... i crawl into a laundry basket and tickle my ears. But, Some times I don't...
