Updated: Lake Forest Star Tommy Rees Arrested
Charged with felony count for battery to law enforcement.
Photos
Updatd: 1:25 p.m. Thursday
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has said he will withhold from commenting or making any judgements until he has a chance to gather all of the facts and speak with Tommy Rees and Carolo Calabrese, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Update: 12:45 p.m. Thursday
According to posts by the South Bend Tribune, both Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese will not appear in court today.
St. Joseph County Police have 48 hours to charge Rees, and then he must be released. However, prosecutors can still file charges today or after that 48-hour period.
The media remains at the St. Joseph County courthouse.
Update: 10 a.m. Thursday
Tommy Rees could be arraigned at noon today or possibly remain in jail another day if charges are not filed by St. Joseph County prosecutors until later today - according to the Chicago Tribune.
Rees' blood alcohol content was .11, according to the Tribune. The legal limit is .08 for driving. Calabrese's BAC was .12.
The battery charge arises from South Bend Police reporting to the Tribune that Rees lifted a knee to an officer's abdomen during the arrest and had to be pepper sprayed while on the ground.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is in South Bend and could speak this afternoon pending the outcome of Rees' arraignment.
A year ago, the university allowed Kelly to determine discipline for wide receiver Michael Floyd, who was arrested in March 2011 for driving under the influence, according to the Chicago Tribune. Kelly put Floyd on indefinite suspension, but he did not miss any games and participated in the team's voluntary summer workouts.
Former Lake Forest High School star Tommy Rees was charged with public intoxication, resisting law enforcement, minor consumption and battery to law enforcement - which is a felony - early Thursday morning, according to South Bend media sources.
Rees, who turns 20 on May 22, was booked into St. Joseph County (Ind.) jail just after 1 a.m. along with teammate Carlo Calabrese, 21, a starting linebacker.
According to media reports, South Bend Police were sent to a home on 716 N. Notre Dame Avenue just after 12:30 a.m. to break up a house party. Rees was pepper-sprayed prior to being taken into police custody, according to those same reports.
Calabrese was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Notre Dame issued this statement Thursday morning regarding the arrests:
"The University is aware of this incident and is confident that it will be handled in a prompt and professional manner through the criminal justice system. Internal discipline is handled privately, in accord with our own policies and federal law."
Calabrese bonded out for $150 at 3:42 a.m. Rees was held without bond until the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office made formal charges, according to media reports.
Rees and Calabrese are due back in court May 17.
Rees started 12 games at quarterback last season at Notre Dame and four in 2010. He has been in a fight for the starting job this spring with Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson and Gunner Kiel.
Calabrese, a senior, has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
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Mrs. H
10:03 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
That's a shame. He could blow his entire future if he continues to get mixed up in stupid stuff like this. Don't do it.
Mark Johnson
10:45 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Mrs. H, I hate to say it but I think Tommy's days at ND are over. My guess is his father is already on the phone attempting to hook him up with a lower-caliber program, like Kansas.
Mark Johnson
10:43 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
LF DAD- I see what you're saying BUT, if we're going to praise this kid time and time again LOCALLY, then we need to hold him accountable LOCALLY. Tommy has been glorified in this town non-stop for the last two years desipte average performance and it's Jim Powers' obligation to tell both the good and the bad of the story in order to maintain the credibility of this newsource.
Jon Kerr
10:55 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Mark- I agree with your comment. Credibility is the right word. Nothing is more important for a news organization!
Jim Powers
11:57 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Hi LF Dad. Thanks for your comments. I understand your viewpoint completely. Whether it's fair or not, Tommy is a public figure and Notre Dame is a high profile university. When a public figure is accused of breaking the law, that warrants breaking news coverage. I absolutely agree with you that Tommy is young and we all make mistakes, and our coverage of this story will continue to be fair and balanced. He will have his day in court. Thanks again for your input.
Therese Sulentich
12:30 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
If I remember correctly, the playful cub Simba in The Lion King boasts to his father, Mufasa, that someday he will be king of the land. His wise and empathic father gently teaches him that all of us have rules to follow despite our privilege in life.
While it may seem counterintuitive, extraordinary good fortune can threaten an otherwise reasonable and high-functioning person. This dynamic can be especially challenging for our children and teens who have the "good" fortune of being exceptionally beautiful, rich, intelligent or enormous talented.
Therese Sulentich, Psy.D.
Shirley
10:41 am on Friday, May 4, 2012
Dear Dr. Sulentich,
Wonderful advice. Navigating the teen and college years are difficult. Being held in a spotlight and on a pedestal must create a great deal of mixed emotions for this young man. I feel for him and his family. However, as discussed above, as a local "celebrity" it is Jim's journalistic duty to report news on Mr. Rees. Remember, Mr. Rees is an adult.