The charges against those arrested in connection with the Aug. 1 Montee Ball attack have been put on hold due to a shortage of information on the case.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne delayed the charges against Wendell Venerable, Deonte Wilson and Robert Wilks- arrested last month after the battery incident against Ball.
All three of the 21-year-old suspects are University of Wisconsin students.
Five men were seen assaulting Montee Ball early in the morning Aug. 1 on University Avenue.
The two other people involved in the incident have not been arrested or charged, Madison Police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said. He said MPD only had probable cause to arrest the three people originally charged.
Ozanne said he is waiting for more information before charging Wilson, Venerable and Wilks. “Not all the police reports were to [Ozanne’s DA’s] office,” Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said.
According to DeSpain, Ball was not a victim of random violence but was targeted for “who he is.” DeSpain said the attack involving Ball may be connected to a fight at a house party.
The three men initially charged with battery were taken into custody Aug. 28.
The statement said the house party took place before the assault on Ball, on the night of July 27. The fight included UW students and members of the UW football team. Nobody involved in the fight has yet been charged, but the investigation is still ongoing, according to the statement.
Verveer added the house party took place at the Lucky Apartments building on University Avenue.
As a result of the Aug. 1 attack, Ball suffered a concussion and was briefly hospitalized.
“My perspective as city councilman for the area where the attack occurred is that I am relieved that it was not a random act of violence,” Verveer said. “We’ve had more than our fair share of that this summer, although the attack was hugely unfortunate.”
DeSpain said once the police arrest a suspect, it is the district attorney’s job to decide which charges will be placed.
“We just arrest people,” DeSpain said.
According to Ozanne, the next court date regarding the incident will take place Sept. 17.
The assault targeting Montee Ball was part of a series of violent events in downtown Madison over the summer. Resnick said since the spike in crime downtown, the city has added more police officers, allowed officers to do more overtime, put in additional lighting throughout the UW area and implemented more programs to prevent violence and gang-related activity.
Resnick added the city has allocated $15,000 for these initiatives, which has helped make a difference in violence in the downtown area. He said the influx of students to the campus area for the start of fall semester has also curbed the violence.
