Charges Filed Against St. Cloud State University Wrestler Accused of Attacking Fellow Student

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud State University wrestler accused of severely beating a fellow student athlete has officially been charged with felony assault.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman called 911 in the early morning hours of September 18th for a man lying unconscious and bleeding outside of a home on the 700 block of 7th Avenue South. A 16-year-old at the scene said they saw the victim being punched repeatedly until they fell unconscious.

When police arrived, they saw blood on the back door frame and told the victim’s roommate to let them in, where they found the man bleeding heavily from multiple facial injuries and showing signs of having been unconscious. The criminal complaint says he was reluctant to seek medical attention but was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by the family, the victim’s name is Chad Waldrop, and he is a member of the SCSU mens swim team.
The criminal complaint says Waldrop described coming home and heard a female screaming and went out the back door of his house, walked around, and yelled asking if everything was alright as 20-year-old Ezayah Marcell Gomez Oropeza and a woman were near the corner under a street sign. Oropeza allegedly yelled, “mind your (expletive) business.” Waldrop said he didn’t mean anything by it and was trying to see what was happening.

He said he turned to go back inside the house and heard footsteps “charging towards him.” Waldrop said he turned around and saw Oropeza about to tackle him. He said he put his hands in front to try and defend himself, but Oropeza tackled him onto the sidewalk and hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

He said he doesn’t remember how he got in the house and said he spoke with his roommates and was bleeding but told officers he was “out of it” and didn’t know how bad the assault was.

The criminal complaint says police spoke with the woman and Oropeza, who told officers the two were walking home and that “nothing happened” but later admitted that he had “knocked him out” and claimed he had been followed in St. Cloud. He said he didn’t have a knife or a gun, “so I hit him.”

Oropeza claimed that he and the woman were walking when Waldrop came out of a house and yelled at them. He said he tried walking away, but Waldrop “continued to come after them.” Oropeza and the woman were briefly detained but later released pending further investigation into Oropeza’s self-defense claim.

Officers spoke with the woman who called 911 and had observed the aftermath of the assault. She told officers that the woman Oropeza was with was screaming at him that he had “messed up” and “you did this” and said they “could not leave him here bleeding like this.” She said Oropeza then started yelling outside the door where Waldrop lived, saying, “who lives here? Who lives here? I just knocked out your friend.” She told investigators that Oropeza began walking away from the scene.

In an interview with the witness’s son, he said he was awake in his room when he saw Oropeza and a woman yelling outside. He said that as the two walked up and down the street, Oropeza was hitting the fence and appeared “very angry” at the woman. He told police he heard the yelling and looked outside, where he saw Waldrop had walked toward Oropeza and the woman, but that he didn’t appear to be confrontational. He said he heard the woman screaming and saw Oropeza punch Waldrop three to four times, including after Waldrop was on the ground and “knocked out.” He said Oropeza yelled that Waldrop should not have approached him. He said the woman was yelling, “why would you do that? We have to get this guy some help and to get him an ambulance and get him inside.”

Officers also spoke with Waldrop’s roommates, who said they heard a man and a woman arguing, and then the back door swung open, and someone yelled, “Who lives here.” The others in the home said they saw Waldrop walk in the house covered in blood. They said he was disoriented, incoherent, and shaken. They said he gave limited statements that he had been assaulted but was reluctant to speak with the police.
On September 28th, investigators obtained a video recording from a neighboring home that shows Waldrop walking across the street. A woman, later identified as the same woman who was with Oropeza at the time of the assault, sits down in the grass with her cell phone.

The criminal complaint says that the video shows Oropeza appearing upset and yelling at the woman. In the video, Oropeza turns toward Waldrop and begins walking toward him. Oropeza is then seen breaking into a sprint and making contact with Waldrop, lifting him off the ground and tackling him. The video shows Oropeza on top of Waldrop, hitting him.

The criminal complaint says the woman, who was not involved in the assault, then comes running toward Oropeza and Waldrop and Waldrop “appears limp.” Oropeza then appeared to walk toward the woman who motioned at him and checked on Waldrop as Oropeza was seen walking across the street. A vehicle stops, and Oropeza turns back toward Waldrop and the woman where the two begin arguing as she tries to tend to Waldrop. According to the video, this goes on for several minutes before Oropeza picks up Waldrop and carries him back toward his house.

The criminal complaint says Waldrop suffered a lip laceration, cheekbone and upper jaw fractures, and a broken left cheekbone. The family says he also suffered bilateral black eyes, chipped teeth, and other cuts and bruises. The criminal complaint says Waldrop signed medical releases and indicated doctors had advised him that he would have to undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries.

Oropeza was arrested on September 28th and is now charged with third-degree felony assault. Bail was set at $100,000. He is due back in court December 16th.

Police say the investigation is still active and ongoing.

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