Duke sophomore cornerback Hud Mellencamp, the 19-year-old son of famed rockstar John Mellencamp, faces felony battery charges in Bloomington, Ind. A warrant was been issued for Hud Mellencamp's arrest and he surrendered to police Monday afternoon.
The charges against Mellencamp stem from a July 29 incident with his 18-year-old brother Speck and Ty Smith, a walk-on wide receiver at Indiana, where his father is the Hoosiers' head baseball coach. The trio allegedly punched and kicked a man on the front porch of his home in Nashville, Ind., leaving the man with facial fractures and cuts that required stitches and the attention of a plastic surgeon.
Mellencamp is being charged with one count of battery resulting in a serious bodily injury, which is a Class C felony in Indiana and can carry a sentence of two to eight years in prison if committed with a deadly weapon.
According to a news release from the Bloomington Police Department, police were dispatched to the site of the alleged incident at 2:45 a.m. The 19-year-old man who was injured reported to the police that three men approached his house and began to climb the stairs of the porch. After asking them if he could help them, the victim reported being punched in the face by Speck Mellencamp. The victim reported that after he fell backwards he was punched and kicked repeatedly by the Mellencamp brothers and Smith.
The probable cause affidavit for Hud Mellencamp states that Speck was involved in an altercation at a party earlier that night. Speck Mellencamp was struck by an unidentified man and believed that he either lived at the residence where the incident took place or was being hidden by the residents.
Smith turned himself in at 5 p.m. Thursday and was released at 7:19 p.m. after posting a $5,000 surety and $500 cash bond. A Fox news affiliate in Indianapolis reported that Speck Mellencamp turned himself into the police around 11 a.m. Friday.
Duke head coach David Cutcliffe issued a statement Thursday night regarding the warrant for Mellencamp's arrest.
"We are aware of the charges that Hud Mellencamp faces in Indiana. Currently, we are giving him the opportunity to return to Indiana to address his legal issues," Cutcliffe said. "We will refrain from any further comment until more information becomes available."
Mellencamp walked on to Duke's football team in August 2012 as a freshman. He did not see game action during his first season on the team. Mellencamp did not play football in high school, but was an accomplished boxer, winning the 132-pound weight class of the Indiana Golden Gloves tournament when he was 14 years old.
This article was last updated Aug. 19 at 4:21 p.m.
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