A Nicholls senior was arrested on a charge of having a weapon on University property and aggravated assault on Oct. 12 at La Maison du Bayou apartment complex. The student allegedly threatened his roommate with a gun during an argument about the cleanliness of their apartment.According to University Police, Earnest Porter, general studies senior from Port Allen, was charged after his roommate’s statement was given the day after the incident allegedly occurred, which was Oct. 11 at approximately 11:30 p.m.

When University Police went to La Maison du Bayou to investigate the incident, Porter voluntarily handed over the .45 caliber pistol to Sgt. Vaughn Ehrman, but police do not know if the gun was actually loaded at the time of the incident.

“It (gun) was given to Sgt. Ehrman unloaded,” Craig Jaccuzzo, director of University Police, said. “At the time of the offense, we do not know if it was loaded or unloaded.”

Porter was charged with aggravated assault as a result of information that was provided by his roommate and two witnesses that were present during the incident.

“He was charged for that because of the information by witnesses and the victim and their interpretation of fear with the weapon being exposed,” Jaccuzzo said.

University Police submitted a full report to the office of student affairs so that the University can decide upon the proper disciplinary action, Jaccuzzo said.

According to University Police, a separate gun incident occurred a few weeks ago at La Maison du Bayou, when a person who is not affiliated with the University went to the apartment complex with a group of people who were returning from an event they went to off-campus. Outside the complex, the person showed a weapon to the crowd. Jaccuzzo said that the incident is still under investigation, but University Police expects to file a warrant for the person’s arrest soon.

With the addition of these two gun incidents, University Police has responded to three weapon offenses this calendar year on campus, Jaccuzzo said. The first offense occurred during the Spring 2005 Semester. Police investigated an off-campus incident and recovered a firearm.