University of Maine Player Arrested in Double Stabbing
University of Maine running back Zedrick Joseph was arrested in connection with a double stabbing in Florida that led to the death of a man, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Wednesday (March 12).
At press time, Joseph, 23, was being held in Richmond, Ga., where he will stay pending extradition to Palm Beach for a single count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. It is not known if he has legal counsel.
The altercation occurred last Friday (March 7) when police responded to a stabbing call in West Palm Beach, the city where Joseph is from, according to the UMaine website. One victim, Vashti Laurore, 23, was stabbed in the hand. Another person, Ricardy Chery, also 23, sustained several stab wounds. Both were taken to St. Mary's Medical Center where Chery died from his injuries. Laurore was treated and released.
UMaine suspended Joseph one day after the violence. "We were very saddened to learn that a University of Maine student has been arrested in connection with the death of one person and the injury of another in Florida," Kenda Scheele, the university's assistant vice president and associated dean of students, said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been forever changed by this horrific incident."
Joseph transferred to UMaine from community college in 2011. The child development and family relations major has been questioned by university police in five separate run-ins dating back to October 2011.
He was never charged in any of the incidents, which include a broken window and a verbal argument, but was subsequently suspended from school after a domestic assault arrest.
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(Photo: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)