ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996               TAG: 9610080074
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER

CHARGES LIKELY IN LAST MONTH'S BRAWL AT TECH

A prosecutor expects charges to be filed within three months because of a brawl on College Avenue last month that left a Virginia Tech track athlete with a broken collarbone and university officials answering embarrassing questions about football players.

Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Keith said there will be no indictments stemming from the brawl when the grand jury meets today. He said he did expect indictments during this term of the court, however, which ends in early January.

"I am waiting for the [police] report to be finished," Keith said. "It needs to be done thoroughly and in a good manner."

Keith complimented the care that police are taking in the investigation, but would not say whether Tech football players are among the suspects in the case.

"I will wait and see what the report says," Keith said when asked about possible football player involvement.

Blacksburg Police announced in a news release Monday that "the department's investigation remains active and to release further information at this time would be inappropriate."

Keith and police officials have been tight-lipped about what part Tech football players played in the brawl that occurred about 2 a.m. Aug. 31. The victim told a reporter he was attacked by "15-20 football players."

Hilliard Sumner III of Bronx, N.Y., said in a Sept. 5 interview that he was hit, kicked and beaten with a cane during the fight. Sumner did credit five football players with breaking up the fight and said "they're not all bad."

A Tech athletic department source who declined to be identified told a reporter Sept. 10 that Head Coach Frank Beamer disciplined three players because of the incident.

"I took action on what I knew for sure took place," Beamer said in September. "If there should be charges, we'll let those things play out in court."

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