BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University basketball player Michael Laster pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and criminal trespass for an incident July 29 at a bar in downtown Bowling Green.
The basketball team has suspended Laster indefinitely from all team activities, according to a department of athletics spokesman. The suspension was first reported by The Sentinel-Tribune.
BGSU declined further comment.
Three employees of Liquid Bar on 238 N. Main St. told Bowling Green police Laster, 21, yelled at bartenders to serve him, refused to leave the bar after being asked to do so, and threw a bottle at a bar employee, striking him in the head, according to a police report.
The employee, Cristian Rosales, 22, said in a statement to police the bottle knocked off his baseball cap and left a small bruise on his head, but did not require medical attention.
Employees also told police Laster threatened to stab anyone who touched him, and that Laster attempted to re-enter the bar, but was stopped by staff.
The report states officers obtained video footage from the bar. In the video, Laster can be seen leaving the bar and taking a bottle from another male. A bottle then flies back inside and strikes Rosales seconds after Laster departs.
Employees showed police Laster’s photo on the BGSU athletics website along with video footage, the report states.
Police spoke with Falcons coach Michael Huger on Aug. 2, and arrested Laster on Aug. 5 and cited him for assault and criminal trespass.
Laster pleaded not guilty in Bowling Green Municipal Court two days later, court records show. In a pretrial conference on Aug. 14, the court granted Laster’s motion to amend the assault charge to disorderly conduct, to which Laster pleaded no contest.
The court ordered Laster to pay $565 in costs and fines by Feb. 12. He also was placed on probation for one year.
A former junior college player, Laster transferred to BGSU as a junior before last season and quickly became a part of the team’s rotation.
He appeared in every game but one last season, averaged 6.7 points, and finished second on the team with 87 assists as the Falcons made a run to the Mid-American Conference championship game.
First Published August 21, 2019, 5:28 p.m.
