Buffalo Center man receives suspended sentence for his part in Crystal Lake campground riot last summer

CRYSTAL LAKE — A Buffalo Center man accused with three others of causing what was termed as a riot at a Crystal Lake campground last summer has been given a suspended prison sentence.

50-year-old Troy Julius of Buffalo Center, 36-year-old Joshua Murra of Buffalo Center, 44-year-old Troy Fleener of Thompson and 28-year-old Logan Swearingen of Thompson were accused of provoking a violent incident at Hanna’s Campground on July 17th of last year.

The men were accused of being part of a group that got upset over comments made by two younger men about a female in the group. The two men were told to leave and they departed on a golf cart, but Julius, Murra, and Fleener later went looking for the two men. They allegedly went to another campsite and asked where the younger men were, with it starting an argument that escalated into Julius punching another man and breaking his jaw.

All four were charged with participating in a riot, a Class D felony, with Julius also being charged with willful injury resulting in serious injury, a Class C felony.

Julius as part of a plea agreement pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault causing serious injury, a Class D felony, with the participating in a riot charge being dismissed. District Judge Rustin Davenport this week sentenced Julius to a five-year suspended prison term and placed him on three years probation. He was also ordered to pay over $7300 in restitution.

Fleener and Murra previously had pleaded guilty to an amended charge of disorderly conduct. Murra was given a deferred judgment and was placed on one year probation, while Fleener was sentenced to two days in jail.

Prosecutors dismissed charges against Swearingen in late May, saying there was insufficient evidence to justify prosecution.