Bowling Green State University athlete denies guilt

7/1/2008

BOWLING GREEN - A Bowling Green State University football player accused in a June 2 home invasion entered not guilty pleas yesterday in Wood County Common Pleas Court.

Orlando Barrow, 19, was arraigned before Magistrate Pamela Herringhaus on felony charges of aggravated burglary and robbery. He and two other men allegedly broke into a Klotz Road apartment, wearing masks and carrying what appeared to be handguns.

The intruders demanded marijuana from the occupants, then proceeded to ransack the apartment.

Mr. Barrow was arrested shortly after the break-in was reported, but Police Lt. Tony Hetrick said investigators have not made any other arrests in the case.

Mr. Barrow, who was in court with his parents, has been free on $20,000 bond. His attorney, Scott Coon, asked the court to continue the bond, saying Mr. Barrow was employed and living with his parents in Chesapeake, Va. where his father was a sheriff's deputy.

Magistrate Herringhaus agreed to continue a bond set in Bowling Green Municipal Court with the condition that Mr. Barrow have no contact with the victims in the case and that he stay in contact with Mr. Coon and show up for all court hearings. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Aug. 18.

If convicted, Mr. Barrow would face two to eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine for robbery, three to 10 years and a $20,000 fine for aggravated burglary.

Mr. Barrow, a defensive lineman for BGSU, was placed on interim suspension from the team and the university following his arrest. He declined to comment yesterday.