Two Penn students charged with assaulting a University senior with a beer bottle could face years in jail and hefty fines if convicted, according to state sentencing guidelines.
College senior Bryce LeFort and Wharton senior Stephen Lande are facing charges of aggravated assault over an incident in which LeFort allegedly broke a glass beer bottle over the head of College senior Andrew Scharf, ripping off a portion of his ear. The incident occurred on Oct. 5 at Copabanana on 40th and Spruce streets.
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.
According to criminal-defense lawyer Patrick Artur, the students will almost undoubtedly face some time behind bars if they are convicted of the charges.
"With a case like this, it's important to know that it is generally - almost definitely - going to call for jail time," Artur said. They could even face time in a state institution, depending on how much, if at all, the victim is determined to have provoked the alleged attackers, he said.
While neither LeFort nor Lande has commented on the case, Scharf has said that the alleged attack was unprovoked. Scharf said that after having a conversation with one of the two students facing charges, he turned his back, only to have the bottle broken over his head.
However, a student who knows LeFort - who refused to be named for this story - said Scharf threw beer at Lande before LeFort struck him with the bottle. If true, this provocation could reduce penalties for LeFort and Lande.
The Division of Public Safety has not said exactly what understanding of the alleged events outside Copabanana resulted in the aggravated-assault charge.
Preliminary hearings will most likely be held next week.
