BELCHERTOWN — One of the men accused of assaulting a University of Massachusetts Amherst student in February following a botched drug deal has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a year in jail.
William McKeown, 19, of Framingham, pleaded guilty in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown last week to larceny from a person and assault and battery, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office.
Judge Matthew Shea sentenced McKeown to one year in jail followed by two years of probation with multiple conditions, including that he stay away from the victim and UMass.
On Feb. 18, McKeown and an accomplice tried to pass off a bag of shredded lettuce and broccoli as marijuana. An altercation ensued in Pierpont dormitory when the student they sold the vegetables to realized he had been tricked, according to the district attorney’s office. The student was struck with a BB gun and was treated for head injuries.
The incident forced UMass officials to issue a shelter-in-place order, effectively shutting down the campus for about three hours.
McKeown’s alleged accomplice, Shawn Wyatt, 22, of Framingham, is charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
Neither McKeown nor Wyatt are UMass students, police said.