Ohio State Assistant Professor Charged With First-Degree Misdemeanor Assault After On-Campus Clash

Overview

• Franklin County Municipal Court records show Luke Perez, 45, is charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault and is due in court Monday.
• The Feb. 9 encounter on Ohio State’s campus was captured on video showing Perez shoving camera operator Mike Newman to the ground as Newman tried to question former president E. Gordon Gee.
• Ohio State placed Perez on paid administrative leave and an OSU spokesperson said he was served a summons for assault.
• Newman, an OSU graduate, said he suffered injury and argued his First Amendment rights were violated during the confrontation.
• Perez has asserted he acted in self-defense, and records note he was hired this year by the university’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society.