Man accused of taunting horse
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — An Allegheny County man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly spit on a police horse during Slippery Rock University homecoming weekend festivities.
Donte L. Broadus Jr., 21, of Braddock is accused of spitting on one of the horses from the state police Tactical Mounted Unit that was patrolling The Heights at Slippery Rock apartments shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Before the incident, according to court documents, police and apartment security officers had told Broadus to leave several times.
He was arraigned on a charge of illegally taunting a police animal and disorderly conduct. He is free on $2,500 bail.
Under state law, it's a crime to “taunt, torment, tease, beat, kick or strike” a police animal. The charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.
Broadus' case was apparently the only felony arrest during the university's three-day homecoming.
Authorities credited a beefed up law enforcement presence with a relatively crime-free weekend.
State police Lt. Daniel Hines said Monday the extent of the trouble included several driving under the influence stops, some underage drinking cases and a couple of misdemeanor drug arrests.
“Our goal was to maintain a level of order,” he said, “but we were not there to prevent people from having a good time.”
Assisting the state police was its Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Butler County Sheriff's Office and Slippery Rock and SRU police.
Along with six horses on the ground, Hines said, a state police helicopter, equipped with a camera, was used to help keep the peace. A camera captured real-time video directly from the scene back to the police command post.
