A West Virginia high school athlete is facing adult felony charges after allegedly elbowing an opponent in the face and breaking his nose during a basketball game, according to newly obtained court documents.
Gage Ketterman, an 18-year-old student and basketball player at Harman School, was arrested last Monday for the alleged game-time attack.
West Virginia State Police were notified of the assault on Feb. 27 after the injury was reported by the wounded student’s mother mere hours after the game between Union High School and Harman School.
The woman claimed that her son was “elbowed in the face” by Ketterman. The victim’s nose was reportedly bleeding “profusely” for more than four hours and he had to be taken to a nearby hospital, according to court documents obtained by WBOY.
Video footage from the game, reviewed by the state police, corroborated the mother’s claims.
The video showed Ketterman jab his elbow “directly in the face” of an opposing player, police said. Throughout the game, the clip also showed him allegedly taunting multiple players by striking them in the back of the head.
Authorities also noted that in the video, Ketterman can be seen “wiping something off the elbow he had just used to strike [the Union player].”
The officers concluded that Ketterman’s actions seemed “intentional and criminal[ly] malicious in nature.”
Because Ketterman was 18 years old at the time of the incident, he will be charged as an adult, cops said. One warrant was issued for malicious assault and two others for attempted malicious assault.
Ketterman was arrested last Monday and released the same day after posting $12,500 bond, according to the West Virginia Magistrate Court system.
His next court date is scheduled for May 22.
