Investigation into alleged assault moving forward

HANCOCK — The investigation into an alleged assault in Hancock is moving forward.

Hancock Police are investigating an alleged assault that reportedly happened at a home on Ryan Street. Police Chief Wayne Butler said a group of individuals…possibly 11 to 14 of them…are said to have been involved in an altercation at the house on Thursday, October 8th.

A couple of the people at the house reportedly suffered minor injuries in the incident, but Butler wasn’t aware of anyone who sought medical treatment. According to Butler, the investigation got off to a slow start because of a lack of cooperation from the witnesses.

Now that there have been a number of people willing to make a statement, the police are starting to put the pieces together.

Some of the initial findings have been that there was no forced entry at the house and the altercation may have involved some property that was stolen. At least some of the suspects have been described by witnesses as Finlandia University student.

In response to the report…Finlandia’s Director of Campus Safety and Security Jim Harden released this statement:

“Recently an incident occurred off campus at a Hancock residence that allegedly involved currently enrolled Finlandia students. The incident was reported to the police. The University’s office for campus safety and security is cooperating fully with Hancock law enforcement. Further information is not available while the investigation is ongoing.”

Since the incident, there has been a lot of alleged information and speculation…especially on social media. Chief Butler says he has heard the cries for justice and promises that the investigation is progressing and the truth of the matter will be known soon.