 "Photo: photo by Brandon Cloud, staff photographer")
Updated 7:46 p.m., Oct. 27
An afternoon of street preaching on the Keathley University Center Knoll led to the arrest of a student after a preacher fell off a concrete wall to the sidewalk, said Lieutenant Jim Fanguy of the MTSU Police Department.
MTSU police arrested Michaela Morales, a junior social work major, on suspicion of assault after preacher John McGlone fell Tuesday. Morales was taken to the Rutherford County Sherriff’s Office for processing.
“Based on witnesses and cell phone video of which we were made aware, we felt we had probable cause for the arrest,” Fanguy said.
Fanguy said Morales apparently pushed McGlone from the ledge where he talked to a crowd of about 200 around 2:45 p.m.
Students, including Morales, began crowding the ledge on which McGlone was standing. After Morales shouted, “Take your hands off my breasts,” McGlone fell to the ground.
Eyewitness accounts vary from Morales defending herself to McGlone being forcibly pushed by Morales from the crowded ledge, which was congested by protesters shouting at McGlone.
The official police report has yet to be released.
Bond for Morales was set at $2,500. Morales posted later that night.
At approximately 11 a.m., three men began preaching to students and passers-by, wearing shirts that read “Trust Jesus,” and “Jesus hates sin.” The men repeatedly told several members of the crowd that they were going to hell - specifically homosexuals, fornicators, God-haters, immodest women, drunks and the greedy.
Students began protesting the speakers and shouting down the men, eventually leading to the altercation at approximately 2:45 p.m. between McGlone and Morales.
McGlone fell from the cement outcropping after a brief struggle with Morales, at which point some students helped the man while others laughed. Shortly thereafter, several squad cars pulled up and officers dispersed the crowd.
McGlone lay on the sidewalk for a few moments, and soon after, medical units responded and assessed his injuries.
“I forgive her,” McGlone said as he walked away from the scene with police.
Immediately after the incident, Morales said, “Carry me,” to Officer Derrick Wharton, though she wouldn’t follow him for questioning initially. Officer Misty White led Morales to a squad car. Police spoke with Morales, frisked her and took her to the police station for further questioning.
McGlone and Kerrigan Skelly are members of PinPoint Evangelism, an organization based in central Kentucky. The third preacher present, Tracy Bays, is not a member of PinPoint Evangelism, but does accompany McGlone and Skelly to campuses.
All of the men had a permit for five hours of time at the Knoll, but students began yelling at the men soon after they began speaking to the crowds. The three men left before their time had expired.
75 comments
I keep on hearing how these men were "screaming obscenities" at the students, but I have watched several videos,
some made by the preachers and some by students on MTSU and other campuses. Not once did any of the preachers make a hateful remark against any students. All these young people with their camera/video phones
and no one thought to take a picture? a video? Let’s see the proof, post a photo on photobucket.
Put a video on youtube. Do that and I will agree 100% that these preachers were way out of line and shouldn't be allowed to be on campus. You can’t because you’re lying. You’re willing to slander and present false testimony against these men to
put you and you’re friend in a better light. Just like the woman was lying when she said that guy copped a feel
in front of hundreds of angry students, get real. How stupid do you have to
be to believe that. There are witnesses that state she was invading his personal space and he was using his elbow to keep her back.
What a P.O.S. does she have to be to cry sexual assault to cover her butt?
Typical feminist.I don’t like these type of preachers either, but I detest liar and hypocrites.They were quoting scripture, nothing more, nothing less & you want to classified that as hate speech, because you’re closed minded bigots.
I can't get over how you compare Ms. Morales actions as she walks across campus to how she will do in a job in her applicable major. It seems your a little envious of Ms. Morales in your post. Maybe you never got to, "raise your arms to the applause of a rioting crowd." I'm proud to be a fellow student of Ms. Morales, and will remember how she stood up for herself. Hopefully I'll forget you as a washed up know-it- all-social worker- that never made a difference. With that amount of negativity in your post and regarding your job, I recommend, www.monster.com
Antiquated Relgious Dogma: 1 Freedom of Speech: 0. The home team is losing thanks to an angry social work student and a crowd of people, like me, who stood idly by as this happened. Let's do this thing the classy way next time, folks: no more violence. Please email me if you have any comments.