H 23°, L 4° | Tomorrow: 
H 21°, L 6°
A University of Wisconsin student spoke out Thursday on charges of disorderly conduct, after allegedly pulling a knife on two students in Witte Residence Hall following a night of drinking Feb. 1.
According to a criminal complaint, UW freshman Brandon Bensen, 19, pulled a knife on two students, including his roommate.
According to UW Police Department Lt. Eric Holen, Bensen allegedly entered another student�s room late at night while drunk. When the student tried to make him leave, Bensen pulled out a knife and held it to the person�s throat. Bensen left the room shortly afterward and returned to his own room where he also pulled the knife on his roommate.
In a phone interview with The Badger Herald, Bensen said he was very drunk and does not remember very much about the events of the evening, except that Witte Hall house fellows had gotten involved.
�They kicked me out after the knife incident,� Bensen said of the first confrontation. �There was no actual fight.�
He added he does not believe he ever threatened his roommate, saying there is a good explanation for the second incident.
�I don�t remember, but somebody told me I was showing him what had happened in the other room,� Bensen said.
According to Bensen, UW has since allowed him to return to school, but he can no longer live in university residence halls.
He has also been placed on two years probation with UW, meaning if he violates any other university policy in that period, he will be expelled. Benson said he must also undergo alcohol assessment and meet with the associate dean who first handled his case.
Bensen is scheduled to make his initial court appearance for the incident Monday. He said he has been charged with disorderly conduct with a weapon, which is a misdemeanor, as well as underage drinking.
This is Bensen�s second underage drinking offense. His first offense occurred in October.
Bensen said he thinks he will plead guilty Monday, but he is not sure because he has not spoken with a lawyer yet.
University Housing Director Paul Evans said incidents like this, and violence in general, are very rare occurrences in residence halls.
�I think it�s kind of a rare thing anywhere on campus,� Evans said. �For the most part, the vast majority of our community treat each other with respect.�
Evans added UW has very low tolerance for violence or threats in residence halls, adding �with anything that serious, it doesn�t matter if it is your first offense.�
According to Evans, alcohol is almost always a factor in negative incidents like this.
�If nobody told me that [alcohol] was involved, I would assume it was,� Evans said. �Typically, in incidents like this that are out of the ordinary, most likely there�s a really good chance alcohol is involved.�
Representatives from the Offices of the Dean of Students did not return phone calls as of press time.
IP hash: 94925203
you got what you deserved, benson
IP hash: dd088b84
I know the guy. He’s actually pretty pleasant and normal when he’s sober, but he obviously changes when he gets drunk.
Crandon I wish you the best, but seriously, don’t drink so much.
IP hash: 5ef09ed1
loser.
IP hash: 147c2963
I support Brandon Bensen. I believe it’s time America’s youth got a message about respecting the inebriated. You rock, Brandon!!
IP hash: 24dab9ab
If you choose to booze, you lose!
IP hash: f95db33b
Nice treatment. Rich parents?
IP hash: 42bcd649
What a bunch of negative people. Dude that night was kinda scary not gonna lie. Kinda glad they left all the other stuff out.
IP hash: 42bcd649
Yo brandon is a really chill dude. He just just an angry drunk. Hopefully he learned his lesson and doesn’t drink like that again.
IP hash: 5ef09ed1
Anyone who gets drunk and holds a knife to someone’s throat is NOT “a really chill dude.” Hey Brandon, how would you feel if some did that to you?
IP hash: 5ef09ed1
I bet his folks are very proud. GO BADGERS!
IP hash: 61a5e23e
Brandon you deserve a bigger punishment…how about you stop drinking!!!
IP hash: 8b3fd15d
why did he agree to an interview without a lawyer? idiot
IP hash: 7ba8c109
He’s and angry young man, like so many of us. What should he do, keep it all inside? I wouldn’t waste my time talking to a shrink. I want action if I have to take action myself. I refuse to surrender control of my life to someone who doesn’t understand my situation. I know what’s best for me.
IP hash: c26e6050
“does not remember very much”
“he does not believe”
“I don�t remember”
“somebody told me”
very informative. you know, i actually heard from my brother’s friend’s roommate that…
IP hash: 94925203
First of all I don’t think this should be the first news item on the front page of the Badger Herald website, and I also feel bad for the Brandon.
Putting a knife up to someone’s neck is well, whatever; I don’t think an adjective is necessary. My point, though, is that Brandon made a mistake.
Assuming this guy is a freshman and he is knee deep in all the social changes and demands that accompany it, I don’t think everyone should be so hard on him.
When a person does something like this, it’s a mistake, and the last thing they need is to be ostracized with their name being publicized front and center on one of the school news websites.
What we should be doing as a university is subtly help Brandon rebound from this. To call him out and alienate him might only be augmenting an issue he may have had in the first place.
So, Brandon, you got drunk, you did something extremely regrettable, but you don’t deserve this public mockery. Your name shouldn’t have been shown. This is like To Catch A Predator style shit. Shame on you Badger Herald! Did using his name do any good? No. Did using his name do any bad? Yes. It was cheap and scummy of you!
IP hash: 94925203
His name has already been released you idiot.
IP hash: 146c64b5
His name has already been released — you’re correct — by the Badger Herald. Maybe you meant to say “his name HAD already been released you idiot.” And … That was obviously before it was broadcast in the fricking student newspaper!
Nonetheless, my point remains that it was cruel of the Badger Herald to do this to a student. It adds to the festering culture of hate and sarcasm established by the BH shout-outs.
And I’m not an idiot because I care for the emotional well-being of a fellow student here.
IP hash: bce32d96
I would just like to say that he is the one who decided to speak to the Badger Herald so no one should feel sorry for him. This is not his first offense for the police getting invovled with his aggression when he gets drunk. So this wasn’t just ONE mistake. He knew that he gets aggressive when he gets drunk and that didn’t stop him. And on another note until just recently he posted these links to this article and the blog about him calling him an idiot on his facebook. So it seemed he didn’t mind if he was helping people find these articles with ease.