Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced that charges have been filed against J.R. Giddens and Jeremiah Creswell, yesterday.

Giddens, a former KU basketball player, was charged in a two-count complaint alleging disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery against Creswell.

Creswell, a 24 year-old Olathe resident, was charged in a one count complaint alleging misdemeanor battery against Giddens.

Creswell allegedly struck Giddens with his fist inside the Moon Bar, 821 Iowa St, on May 19. Giddens allegedly struck Creswell with his fist outside the Moon Bar after closing, Giddens was then stabbed in the right calf. Giddens and Creswell have been summoned to appear in court on Sept. 21.

No charges involving the knife injury had been filed, Branson said.

“It appears that those injuries were received while Mr. Creswell attempted to defend himself after several people joined in the altercation,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, you’ve got a melee involving a lot of people...It’s hard to tell what anybody’s doing in these types of situations. To find a credible witness that can say ‘yes, I saw X hit Y,’ that’s where the difficulty comes in.”

Branson said he could not comment on specific details of the fight, nor whether Giddens and Creswell were tested for alcohol or drugs, because the case has not gone to court. Branson did not rule out filing additional charges in the case.

In a statement issued by the Kansas media relations department, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self said he had no further comment on the matter.

“We have put this situation behind us,” he said. The district attorney statement speaks for itself.”

Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony had a similar response.

“J.R. has moved on and we have moved on,” Marchiony said. “That incident is in the past and we will not comment on it.”

The investigation has reached a point where the police could not glean any new information by interviewing more people, Branson said. The district attorney’s office reviewed more than 250 pages of reports and interviewed more than 50 witnesses, he added.

The summons would be sent to Giddens’ new address in Albuquerque, N.M., where he has since transferred to the University of New Mexico. If someone fails to respond to a summons, a bench warrant is issued for his or her arrest, Branson said.

Typically in the first appearance at court in a misdemeanor case, charges are read to the defendant and then the defendant is requested to enter a guilty or not guilty plea to decide whether the case goes to trial, Branson said.

Misdemeanor battery can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail, Branson said.

In a statement issued by the University of New Mexico’s media relations department Giddens commented on the Moon Bar incident and his future.

“Last May, I had an experience I will remember the rest of my life,” he said. “I learned a lot from what happened that evening, and I feel I am a better person because of it.

“Now, I want to move on with a new and exciting situation I have at the University of New Mexico. I have really enjoyed my brief time in Albuquerque and I look forward to working with my new teammates and making a positive impact to the Lobos basketball team on and off the court.”

In the same statement, New Mexico men’s basketball coach Ritchie McKay said he was aware of Gidden’s situation when he signed him and the charges now facing him changed nothing.

“Before judgment is passed on J.R, please consider that I think we live in a day and age in which we often assume truth in things we hear about a young person’s character before really getting to know that individual,” he said. “In the short time I have known J.R. Giddens, I believe, from what I have read about him, that he has been wrongly portrayed.”

McKay went on to say that anyone in the New Mexico basketball program would attest to Giddens being a fine young man.

“In particular, I find it difficult to believe that J.R., the ‘stabee,’ would have to face the charges that were announced today in rather dramatic fashion,” McKay said. “However, I wasn’t at the incident so I don’t know all of the facts.

“Yet, I trust J.R. and we fully support him. I think that when all is said and done his impact on our basketball program and our community will be significant.”