St. Louis man charged with assaulting SEMO public safety officer

EDITOR'S NOTE: Story has been corrected to reflect the suspect was a former university student.

A St. Louis man faced a Cape Girardeau County judge Tuesday on accusations he assaulted a Southeast Missouri State University public safety officer and possessed marijuana.

Manik Rashid Webber Young, 19, was charged by the Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor's Office with second-degree assault of a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor marijuana possession. The charge accuses Webber Young of using his body to apply pressure to Department of Public Safety officer Kenton Martin, nearly causing Martin to lose consciousness.

According to a probable-cause statement by Martin, campus officers were called to a room in Dearmont Hall on Friday by the hall assistant director about the smell of marijuana. Officers found Webber Young, according to the statement, who became combative and pushed Martin "into the bed and wall," almost causing him to blackout. The statement doesn't mention any other people in the room.

Department director Doug Richards said Webber Young is not a student. Martin was checked out at a hospital and released, Richards said.

University spokeswoman Ann Hayes said he was a student at the school from the fall 2011 semester to fall 2012.

The probable-cause statement said Webber Young was given a "notice against trespass" by a university staff member the day before the incident, but he remained on campus.

Richards said Cape Girardeau police were called to assist. A separate probable-cause statement from the Cape Girardeau Police Department said marijuana was found on Webber Young when he was taken to the Cape Girardeau police station for booking.

Webber Young was arraigned Tuesday before Judge Gary Kamp, who scheduled a preliminary hearing for 11 a.m. March 13. Assistant public defender Michael Sato appeared on Webber Young's behalf. Sato said the public defender's office has no comment on the case.

Webber Young was in jail Wednesday on a $15,000 bond.

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