By James Steinbauer, Editor-in-Chief
Oxford police arrested a man on Friday after the robbery and shooting of two Miami University students last week and said the shooting happened in the middle of a drug deal.
Patrick J. Belinson, 27, of Cleveland Ohio was arrested in connection to the robbery and shooting on Tuesday, Oct. 4 that left the two male students wounded.
Volodymyr Kovalenko, a 23-year-old junior from Beachwood Ohio, was shot in the leg as he struggled to wrestle a gun from his attacker. Miami junior Jared Goldhamer, 20, who lives at the home in the 200 block of N. Campus Avenue, was also shot in the leg.
Goldhamer was transported to McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital and Kovalenko was transported to West Chester Hospital. Both have since been released.
Belinson has been charged with two counts of complicity to aggravated robbery, a 1st degree felony that carries a penalty of three to 10 years in prison and fines up to $20,000, and two counts of complicity to felonious assault, a 2nd degree felony with a penalty of three to 11 years in prison and fines up to $20,000.
Police initially reported that Kovalenko contacted a person through Craigslist to buy a car. Kovalenko told police that the purported owner of the vehicle and another man drove the car from Cleveland to meet him at 210 N. Campus Avenue -- a house known as "Study A Broad."
However, subsequent investigation revealed the transaction was not for a vehicle, but approximately $4,000 worth of marijuana.
While assisting Kovalenko and Goldhamer, Oxford police saw at least two shell casings on the floor, a large amount of blood on the floor and drugs and drug paraphernalia in the common area of the house, according to a search warrant issued on Oct. 7.
Court records show that in the search of the N. Campus Avenue home, police recovered a Cobra .380 semiautomatic pistol and three shell casings: one under a downstairs table, one next to the table and another next to a bloodstain and hole in the floor of the downstairs living room.
Police also recovered:
- One Triton T2 Scale
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- Five baggies and multiple buds of marijuana
- Four marijuana pipes
- Three marijuana grinders
- A tray containing a light brown and dark brown substance on wax paper
- Rolling papers
- $2,000 in cash
Police are still searching for at least one other suspect, who is described as a black man, with dreadlocks, about five-feet, 11-inches tall and weighing about 190 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call Oxford Police at 513-524-5240.
This story was produced in cooperation with patch.com, a community-focused website with content produced by Miami journalism students. Chris Graves contributed to this report.
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