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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC employee not yet charged in bar incident

On Nov. 4, 55-year-old Eddie Randolph Allen was arrested in Phoenix, Ariz. while attending a conference related to his work at the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine at UNC.

He was arrested for “unlawfully administering intoxicating liquors, narcotic drug or dangerous drug,” which is a felony, and was released on Nov. 5, according to the arrest report.

Jerry Cobb, spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, said there are no formal charges right now because Allen’s case is still being reviewed.

“Police are no longer investigating it at the moment, and they have submitted their information and the results of their investigation to us,” Cobb said. “We’re now looking at that, and we’ll have a charging decision shortly.”

According to the probable cause statement provided by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Allen was seen buying beers for other conference members on video footage of the bar in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Phoenix. 

The statement says Allen was seen stirring one of the beers before handing it to a fellow conference member, who is described as the victim in the police report. The victim went to the bathroom and dumped out his drink to find a white pill in the bottom of the cup.

The victim knew Allen and was staying with him at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix, according to the statement.

In an interview with the police, the victim said he was suspicious of the drink Allen gave him due to previous incidents involving alcohol with Allen. The previous incidents prompted the victim to look in the glass before drinking, according to the statement.

During his interview with the police recorded in the statement, Allen said he was stirring the beer to remove the foam head.

Jim Gregory, a UNC spokesperson, said Allen is currently employed as an assistant director for operations within Research Support and the University is aware of his arrest.

On Tuesday, a receptionist at the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine said Allen would be out of the office indefinitely.

Cobb said the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office does not have a specific timeline for these types of cases because people who commit dangerous and violent crimes have priority on charging decisions.

Allen does not have to stay in Arizona while awaiting his charging decision, Cobb said. Allen did not respond to a note left on the front porch of his Durham home on Thursday.

university@dailytarheel.com

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