Two SEMO players charged in off-campus Cape assault have records

Two of the four Southeast Missouri State University student-athletes charged in connection with an off-campus assault had criminal records, according to Missouri's court database.

Four students were arrested Tuesday on charges connected to the Dec. 13 assault of a student. Another football player, Brett Jones, 18, of St. Clair, Mo., was arrested in January.

Derek Gohn, 19, of Bridgeton, Mo., Jared Goodson, 22, and Pili Showers, 21, both of Cape Girardeau, were charged with first-degree burglary in connection with the incident. Antonio Garritano, 19, of Jackson was charged with first-degree burglary and third-degree assault.

Derek Gohn

Jones, Garritano, Gohn and Goodson are listed on the university's football roster. Garritano and Goodson received scholarships.

Garritano, a red-shirt freshman, is listed as a defensive end. He signed to play with the university in February 2008. According to Missouri Case.net, in May 2008, he pleaded guilty to distribution of prescription medication by a person younger than 21, a misdemeanor.

Gohn, listed as a freshman linebacker, had prior convictions in St. Charles County. Gohn twice pleaded guilty to theft -- a misdemeanor charge in July and a felony charge in June, according to Missouri Case.net.

According to a probable-cause statement from the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the assault stemmed from an earlier incident. Jones said he was assaulted outside what he called a Pike house on Dunklin Street when he tried to leave a nearby residence in a car. Pikes are members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

People opened the car door and started hitting him. His shirt was ripped, but he was not seriously injured, nor did he report the incident to police, according to the sworn statement.

Jones later went back into the house with Garritano, Gohn, Showers and Goodson. Garritano hit Blake Carlton, who was asleep, as many as 16 times, according to the statement.

Carlton, 21, a junior from St. Louis majoring in international business, said he blacked out and woke up in the bathroom. His injuries included a black eye and a blow to the head.

The football players have been withheld from athletic activities until the department can review the case, said athletic director John Shafer.

"It's an ongoing investigation, and until we get all the facts I'm not going to make any decision on what we are doing disciplinewise," he said. A police department spokesman said Tuesday that detectives are still following up on leads in the case.

Shafer said he did not know about the athlete's prior convictions. Of the university's 300 student-athletes, only summer school athletes are monitored during the summer, Shafer said in reference to Gohn's convictions, which occurred during June and July.

"People that are at home, I do not routinely monitor their activities," he said. He also said he refrains from signing recruits with criminal backgrounds.

Shafer said he and the coaches routinely talk to teams about good behavior. Since news surfaced about the assault, he said, they are reiterating those points.

"We're going to do what we need to do to make sure our program is run with integrity," he said.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

One University Plaza Cape Girardeau, MO