Suspect Accused of Beating St. Cloud State University Swimmer Pleads Guilty

(KNSI) — The suspect accused of brutally beating a fellow student last fall has pleaded guilty.

Ezayah Marcell Gomez Oropeza was charged on September 30th, 2021, with one count of third-degree felony assault after allegedly tackling Chad Waldrop outside his home, knocking him unconscious.

According to the criminal complaint, Waldrop heard a woman screaming, so he went outside and yelled, “Hey, is everything alright?” Oropeza responded with, “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 into the house and heard footsteps charging toward him, so he turned around and saw Oropeza about to tackle him. He said he hit his head and was knocked out. Waldrop told police he couldn’t remember how he got in the house, was “out of it,” and didn’t know how bad the assault was.

On September 28th, 2021, court papers say investigators obtained a video recording from a neighboring home that showed Waldrop walking across the street. A woman reportedly 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.

According to court documents, 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. Doctors reportedly advised Waldrop that he would have to undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries.

Oropeza faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. According to the plea deal, he is expected to be sentenced to 90 days in jail staggered in 30 day increments to be served up front in a 7/23 split. That means he will do four days in jail with credit for three days and spend 23 days on electronic home monitoring. The last 60 days of his sentence can be vacated if he complies with the terms of his probation and makes minimum payments toward restitution, which was set at $24,643.73. He will also have to pay a $50 fine plus surcharges and law library fees.

Sentencing is set for November 9th.

Oropeza was once a member of the St. Cloud State University wrestling team. School officials tell KNSI he is not a current member of the school’s wrestling program. His status as a student is unclear.

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