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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – A homicide trial begins today in Portage County, and I know the accused.
Arlin Sangter, a 19 year old, is charged with 1st Degree Reckless Homicide.
I knew Arlin when he played football and basketball at D.C. Everest. I did the play-by-play for many of his games.
I would tell you this: Arlin was one of the best defensive football players I’d seen in a long time… a true stand-out on the gridiron. He was an obvious all-conference player. I was the emcee at the end-of-season football banquet, and earlier that day Arlin was named to the state’s all-section team. All-conference is an honor given to you by the teams you’ve played against all season. All-sectional and all-state are for players whose talents are recognized by others they did not play against. It’s a tremendous athletic achievement.
Last year Arlin was one of three people accused of beating a man, when he came upon them breaking into his vehicle and camper. The man, Donald Mitchell, was left unconscious in a parking lot. He died from his injuries the next day.
Arlin is charged with being party to a homicide, a class-B felony. He’s entered a ‘not guilty’ plea, and is presumed innocent unless and until a jury says otherwise.
I have no inside information on what happened that night in March. And, of course, my sympathies are with the victim and his family. His life was taken away because he ran into the wrong people at the wrong time. That is, indeed, tragic.
But I can’t help but think of Alrin Sangster. In a better world, he would be playing college football this fall, and would have been attending school on a scholarship. His athletic ability could have been his ticket to a much different life.
There are few things sadder than wasted talent.
Chris Conley
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