A Daily Reveille opinion columnist was arrested Saturday night in Tiger Stadium during the LSU vs. Florida game. Donald Hodge, author of “The Weekly Hodging,” was charged with remaining after being forbidden and resisting an officer, according to a citation from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. Hodge was escorted from the game and issued a misdemeanor summons. The EBR Sheriff’s Office was unable to confirm the details of the arrest by press time. Hodge said he was standing next to his friend who was in a wheelchair during the pregame, when a game marshal asked him to move because he was blocking other people’s views. Hodge was again asked to move before the marshal sought assistance from the EBR Sheriff’s Office. Hodge said officers confronted him and removed him from the stadium after he refused to move, citing his right to stand next to his friend in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said he stood next to his handicapped friend during the first three home games this season. Hodge was handcuffed and held in a holding bus before being issued the misdemeanor summons and released. Hodge said he was not read his Miranda Rights and maintains his innocence. “I don’t know how you quantify the humiliation of being arrested in front of your friends, missing the Florida game and being treated the way that I [was],” Hodge said. He said he plans to fight the criminal charges and intends to sue both the University and East Baton Rouge Parish in civil court. “We’re still looking into the matter at this time,” said Justin Fritscher, Daily Reveille editor-in-chief. “No decisions concerning his employment will be made until more details surface.”
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]