ASU student Lindsey Schmitt must attend an education class and pay a fine to victims involved in an altercation in February at the Greek Leadership Village.
According to court documents, the Maricopa County Justice Court is requiring Schmitt attend SAGE Counseling or another behavioral health provider for an education class. Schmitt is also being fined $4,293.10; the money will go toward all victims related to the matter.
On Feb. 11, an incident at the GLV occurred between students Schmitt and William Hood, Jr. Lawyers for both students did not respond to a request for comment.
Schmitt's sorority at the time, Delta Gamma, hosted a dance on Feb. 11 which Schmitt, her roommate and Hood attended. Hood was the roommate's date and, according to the police report, Schmitt and the roommate accused Hood of touching the roommate inappropriately at the dance, which the roommate told Schmitt about and led to the altercation. According to body camera footage from ASU PD on the night of the incident obtained by The State Press, the roommate did not want Hood arrested when the responding officer asked her if she did due to the touching.
Later in the evening, after consuming alcohol, Schmitt's roommate and Hood returned to the Delta Gamma house in the GLV where Schmitt then confronted Hood about the alleged touching and the two began arguing.
Hood said Schmitt began shoving him and punching him in the face and then he left the residence while Schmitt said she received a bruise on her arm after being slammed against a wall by Hood.
READ MORE: Initial ASU PD report on altercation at GLV left out alleged use of racial slur
The incident then gained widespread recognition on social media after Natacha Rambert, Hood's mother, posted about it on Facebook.
A detail initially left out of the police report filed by an officer with the ASU Police Department but later added in a supplemental document notes Schmitt, a white woman, used a racial slur directed toward Hood, a Black man.
Hood was also arrested, and ASU PD recommended charges of assault and trespassing to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, but the county did not accept the recommendations, and ASU PD later confirmed Hood would not be charged.
Schmitt's prosecution by the state of Arizona is on pause for 90 days, and she will have until Dec. 27 to complete the deferred prosecution program, which includes attending the education class and paying the fine. If Schmitt completes the program, she will face no further charges, and the prosecution will conclude.
The deferred prosecution program is offered to first-time offenders after they have been charged by indictment with a felony offense. Since Schmitt has not been previously convicted of a felony, is not accused of committing a felony and has not completed a program before, she is legally eligible for the deferred prosecution program.
Schmitt will be attending SAGE Counseling, which provides services for substance abuse treatment, domestic violence, parenting classes, anger management and cognitive skills.
A separate civil court case in the Maricopa County Superior Court between Hood and Schmitt is still ongoing. Hood is suing Schmitt on three counts: negligence, assault and battery, and damages, according to a complaint filed in the superior court on March 31.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Hood's name. The story was updated Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. to correct the error. This story also misreported Schmitt was prosecuting the state of Arizona, rather than being prosecuted by the state. This story was updated again on Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m. to reflect the change.
Clarification: This story was updated on Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m. to clarify who reported the inappropriate touching, who was involved in the altercation and that there were no charges of assault brought against Hood.
Edited by Jasmine Kabiri, Wyatt Myskow, Sophia Balasubramanian, Luke Chatham and Piper Hansen.
Reach the reporter at alrami13@asu.edu and follow @byandrearamirez on Twitter.
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Andrea Ramirez is a part-time reporter at The State Press. She has previously worked for The State Press for Spring ‘23.
