Two SU football players charged in Manley break-in

By: Lauren Bertolini and Matt Gelb

Posted: 3/5/08

Two members of the Syracuse University football team were charged with criminal mischief in the fourth degree after allegedly breaking into the Manley Field House equipment room Sunday morning.

Officers from the SU Department of Public Safety chased Paul Chiara and Mikhail Marinovich on foot, when the Syracuse Police Department arrived at Manley Sunday at 12:25 a.m., Sgt. Tom Connellan of the SPD said.

Marinovich, a newly enrolled freshman communication and rhetorical studies major, was apprehended first in the 800 block of Lancaster Avenue by DPS. Chiara, a senior running back recently moved to safety, was taken into custody at 1:10 a.m. on the corner of East Colvin and Lancaster Streets, Connellan said.

As athletes, Marinovich and Chiara can access Manley using a code for a push-button lock, but do not have access to equipment rooms, Connellan said.

The two students allegedly broke a rolling metal gate to gain entrance to the room, as well as the cylinder lock that held the gate closed, he said.

"We are gathering all of the information and we will handle the matter appropriately internally," Syracuse football head coach Greg Robinson said in a statement Tuesday night.

Both Chiara and Marinovich were transported to the SPD for further questioning. They were arrested, and then released with an appearance ticket requiring them to appear in criminal court to respond to the accusation of criminal mischief in the fourth degree.

The charge is a misdemeanor, and is issued due to the intentional damaging of another persons property or recklessly damaging another's property worth more than $250.

Chiara, of Mountain Lakes, N.J., rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown against Cincinnati. The California native Marinovich, a three-star recruit, enrolled early at SU in January to participate in spring practice.

lrbertol@syr.edu

magelb@syr.edu