Two students charged with aggravated assault against another student will soon face hearings in Philadelphia's lower courts.
The preliminary hearings for College senior Bryce LeFort's case will be held Nov. 22, while the hearings for Wharton senior Stephen Lande's case will be Dec. 6.
LeFort and Lande are being charged for their alleged involvement in an incident that left College senior Andrew Scharf missing a chunk of an ear on the night of Oct. 5 at Copabanana at 40th and Spruce streets.
Scharf has said that after turning away from a verbal exchange - which he said was not a physical fight - with the accused, he was struck in the head from behind with a beer bottle, which severed the upper half of his ear.
While there has been some disparity as to the exact events that occurred Oct. 5, several sources - who have asked to remain anonymous in light of the ongoing legal proceedings - say that Scharf had thrown beer on one of the defendants before being hit with the bottle.
According to state criminal records, LeFort was arrested and charged on Oct. 10, and posted a bail of $4,000.
Lande posted a bail bond of $2,000 following his Oct. 11 arrest.
The arraignment preliminary hearings were held on Oct. 11 and 13 for Lande and LeFort, respectively, with both resulting in a decision to go to court, according to criminal records.
Both students are charged with aggravated assault coupled with simple assault, engaging in criminal conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime with intent to harm and recklessly endangering Scharf.
While LeFort is being represented by Max Kramer, a private defense lawyer, his primary attorney so far in the case has been Michael McGovern, a criminal defense lawyer.
McGovern could not be reached for comment last night.
Aggravated assault is a felony involving serious bodily injury to another person with a deadly weapon and an indifference to human life, according to the Pennsylvania penal code.
While an aggravated-assault charge alone can result in up to 10 years in prison and $50,000 in fines, the students may face additional penalties due to the severity of damage they allegedly inflicted on the victim and the recklessness of the attack.
Neither LeFort nor Lande has commented on the case.
Scharf, however, has said that the alleged attack was unprovoked.
