Morgantown Police arrested a Massachusetts man on malicious wounding charges Friday after a Mountaineer wrestler was hit in the face with a beer bottle on High Street earlier this week.

Samuel Heavey, 22, of Marion, Mass. was arrested Friday without incident, police said.  He was charged with malicious wounding and held on $25,000 bond.

Police said Heavey threw a bottle that hit Christian Chirico, 20, in the face.  Chirico suffered severe damage to his face and eye.

Chirico, of Charlottesville, Va. had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery.  The incident started as a snowball fight on High Street that may have escalated.

WVU head wrestling coach Craig Turnbull said Chirico went to get food at about 2 a.m. when he was hit with the bottle.  Chirico was hit directly in the eye and suffered a broken orbital bone, severed artery and lacerated tear duct.

Chirico also received 38 stitches and his eyesight is still in question.  He is a petroleum and natural gas engineering student and redshirt freshman on the WVU wrestling team.

An online directory of WVU students lists Heavey as an exercise physiology major.

John Kerkhoff

jkerkhoff@wvradio.com
@johnkerkhoff
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Comments

  • THE MEB

    He ain't Heavey, he's my brother. Sorry, I guess things just snowballed away from me. I understand it's not cool to make fun of the tragic, but sometimes we as a society make fun at things we cannot amke sense of. This, IMO, is one of those times. The cries that crime would increase exponentially to increases in student population went unheard.How many more deaths or physical tagedies like this one will it take before WVU, or Morgantown, or both, get serious and close down the bars downtown?

    February 2, 2013 at 3:34 am | Reply Report comment

  • aalden

    WVU and the city of Morgantown had better start addressing the issue of public safety downtown. Downtown Morgantown is fast becoming a place NOT to be after dark. This is not good for business OR the school.

    February 2, 2013 at 9:38 am | Reply Report comment

  • Mac

    Forget after dark. How many assaults have there been in broad daylight?

    February 3, 2013 at 11:38 am | Reply Report comment