UPDATE 7:52 p.m.
“Gay people are destroying the country,” Brother Dean Saxton preached in the alumni plaza, sitting down on the hill in the free speech area closest to the Modern Languages building.
Archaeology graduate student Marijke Stoll passed him while walking back to her department and decided to stick around. “I’d never seen him in person before but I recognized him from videos so I knew what his schtick was. I thought, ‘why not I have a few minutes.'”
People were yelling things at Saxton as he preached, a crowd forming as the classes got out at noon. And then a girl walks up to him, and he kicks her square in the chest.
“She was just walking up to him, her hands at her side,” Stoll said. “She was probably just going to go up and say something to him. But he leaned back and directly kicked her in the chest.”
When it happened, the crowd of around 20 students collectively gasped, according to Stoll.
“He definitely did it intentionally, it was not an accident at all. He assaulted her,” Stoll said.
Stoll called the 911 at noon and UAPD arrived within 5-7 minutes. Because she notified them about the crowd, they dispatched 4-5 officers to interview all the eyewitnesses.
“We continued to argue back and forth,” Stoll said about Saxton. “People were yelling at him, There was a male student was there who confronted him as well and said ‘You can’t just hit a woman like that, why don’t you hit me?'”
Once the cops showed up, everybody clapped, Stoll said.
Saxton was arrested at 12:30 p.m. and UAPD issued an exclusionary order banning Saxton from campus for a year. If he returns to campus during that time, he’s subject to arrest. He was taken to the Pima County Jail where he was officially charged with a class one misdemeanor for assault.
“I view [campus preachers] with very mixed feelings,” said Associate Dean of Students Kathy Adams Riester. “I generally—in particular with someone like Dean Saxton—I don’t agree with the messages they are sharing on campus because often those messages are hurtful. However most of the time those messages are within their first amendment right and as a public institution. We are responsible for allowing people to have free speech and protecting those rights on campus.”
RELATED: Campus preachers: Do they belong?
UPDATE 4:21 p.m.
Saxton is awaiting release from Pima County Jail following his pre-trial at 1 p.m. where he was formally charged with assault, a class one misdemeanor.
He was given a court date for a later time.
Conditions for his release are that he is not allowed to return to the incident location nor is he allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim. He was released on his own recognizance which means he did not have to pay the $641 bond, he only had to promise in writing that he would appear for all future court dates.
Own recognizance releases are determined by severity of the crime, the suspect’s criminal record, the danger posed to the public if suspect is released, and the suspect’s ties to family community, and employment.
RELATED: HB 2615 hopes to do away with ‘free speech’ zones on college campuses
Students crowded around cop cars on the UA mall this afternoon, watching as “Brother” Dean Saxton was placed in handcuffs, patted down and put in a University of Arizona Police Department car.
Saxton was arrested and booked for one count of assault after kicking a female student at the Alumni Plaza in front of the Administration building.
“We received a call of a disturbance, a couple officers responded, did an investigation and determined that the mall preacher ‘Brother’ Dean Saxton assaulted a female, who I believe is a student,” said Sgt. Filbert Barrera, UAPD public information officer. “He was also given a one-year exclusionary order, which means he is no longer allowed to be on campus for the next year.”
Saxton is currently in Pima County Jail and is scheduled to go to court tonight around 7 p.m. to determine if he will be released. His bond is set at $641.
“Are we really so surprised that someone who is so hateful towards everybody is actually violent?” said senior Maya Sabbagh. “There has to be some pent up aggression in there. He’s trying to promote such hateful ideas.”
Saxton, wearing a purple shirt with the word “Homo” crossed out in red, was preaching in front of the Administration building at around noon.
“I think it’s a good thing that he got arrested,” said senior Claire McNary. “I don’t really like him sitting up here, preaching, telling people you can’t masturbate, you’re going to hell—it’s disruptive to campus life. It’s just really hateful. … I’m kind of glad, but I don’t know if they can kick him off campus for good.”
Brother Dean arrested, currently in jail for assaulting female student. Banned from campus under 1 year exclusionary order. @dailywildcat
— Raquel Baier (@prof_roxy) September 20, 2016
So Brother Dean, the guy who preaches on our campus got arrested today for spartan kicking some girl in the chest. Must have been fed up. pic.twitter.com/ZIL5gzkqps
— Aaron McFarland (@young_ron3) September 20, 2016
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