Three of four charged in Crystal Lake campground riot plead guilty

CRYSTAL LAKE — Three of the four men accused of causing what was termed as a riot at a Crystal Lake campground last summer have pleaded guilty.

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.

The men are 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.

Court records show a plea change hearing has been set for Julius on June 7th, as he’s agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of assault causing serious injury, a Class D felony, with the participating in a riot charge being dismissed.

Fleener and Murra have each pleaded guilty to the 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.

Swearingen is scheduled to be tried in his case on June 8th.