Duke walk-on Hud Mellencamp facing felony battery charge

Duke walk-on sophomore cornerback Hud Mellencamp, the son of recording artist John Cougar Mellencamp, is facing felony battery charges for an alleged assault that took place in July in his native Indiana, according to the Charlotte Observer.

19-year-old Hud, his 18-year-old brother Speck, and 18-year-old Ty Smith (the son of Indiana University’s baseball coach) are accused of jumping three men in front of a Bloomington, Ind., home on July 29. An arrest warrant was issued Thursday by the Bloomington Police Department for all three men, who are each facing a single felony assault charge.

The Observer says Speck told police that he attended a party at the house earlier in the night and was struck by a guy while breaking up a fight between two women who were arguing over him. After rounding up his brother and Smith, Speck returned to the home where they confronted the alleged victim, who was sitting on the porch of the home with two friends. The alleged victim tells police he asked the men “Can I help you?” and was punched by Speck. Hud and Smith allegedly joined in and kicked and beat up the alleged victim. Other men living in the house came out to break up the fight, and once the alleged victim was back on his feet, Speck knocked him down and beat him up some more. The other people broke up the fight and say the trio ran away.

The alleged victim reportedly suffered facial fractures that required stitches and the attention of a plastic surgeon.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe told The Observer in an email that he was aware of the charges and was allowing Mellencamp to Indiana to handle the matter. Hud, by the way, is a two-time Golden Gloves boxing champion in Indiana and a Junior Olympics state boxing champion, according to his Duke bio.

Photo: Twitter/Hud Mellencamp