UNC Wrestler Charged With Felony Assault, Suspended from Team

UNC wrestler Jace Palmer has been charged with felony aggravated assault after punching a fellow student.

An incident report from the Chapel Hill Police Department says the assault took place on Monday afternoon at 828 Purefoy Road in Chapel Hill, near the intersection with Howell Street south of the UNC campus.

According to court records, Palmer turned himself over to authorities on Wednesday morning and immediately posted his $5,000 bond. He faces one charge of felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury. The arrest warrant for the charge states Palmer punched UNC student Kevin Andrew O’Brien, “causing significant damage to two teeth.”

In wake of the incident, the UNC wrestling program has suspended Palmer. A redshirt junior from Casper, WY, Palmer has competed for the Tar Heels for the last three seasons.

“We are cooperating with all relevant authorities,” UNC senior associate athletic director Robbi Pickeral Evans said in a statement shared with Chapelboro. “We expect all of our student-athletes to abide by all laws and serve as positive members of our campus community.”

The UNC wrestling program’s 2024-25 season begins on Saturday when the Tar Heels take on Drexel and Navy in Annapolis, MD.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

‹

UNC Wrestling National Champion Austin O'Connor Indicates Interest in Joining UFC

UNC fifth-year senior Austin O’Connor — who became the Tar Heels’ first NCAA champion in wrestling since 1995 this past March — posted on Instagram that he is interested in joining the UFC in the future. View this post on Instagram Standing alongside former UNC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, O’Connor made his […]

UNC's Season-Opening Wrestling Match vs. Campbell Postponed

The UNC wrestling team has postponed its season-opening match against Campbell scheduled for Friday, due to COVID-19 issues within the Tar Heel program. While UNC has had other sports events postponed due to COVID-19 issues on the opponent’s side, this marks the first time problems on the Tar Heel side have forced a postponement. The […]

Wrestling: No. 17 UNC Opens Dual Meet Season With Tight Road Victory at No. 19 Michigan

Despite opening its dual meet season in hostile territory at the Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor on Friday, the 17th-ranked UNC wrestling team managed to eke out a close 19-17 win over the No. 19 Michigan Wolverines. Clay Lautt represented six of UNC’s points with his pinfall victory over Reece Hughes at 174 pounds, […]

UNC Baseball Earns No. 5 Overall Seed in NCAA Tournament; Will Host Regional

Postseason baseball is coming back to Boshamer Stadium. The Diamond Heels were revealed as the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Monday, meaning UNC will host at least an NCAA Regional in Chapel Hill. Should seeding hold, Carolina would also host a Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. UNC enters the NCAA Tournament with […]

US Soldier Charged With Using Classified Intel to Win $400K Polymarket Bet on Maduro Raid

Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of the operation to capture Maduro in January and used the prediction market site Polymarket to place a bet.

Richard Ojeda Wins Democratic Primary for NC-09; Will Face U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson in Nov.

Retired U.S. Army major Richard Ojeda II separated himself from the Democratic field in Tuesday's primary for NC-09, winning 49% of the vote.

Former UNC Strength Coach Dies in Car Crash; Community Raises Money for Family

Former Carolina Athletics strength coach Dominick Vetell died in a car crash May 16, with the UNC community raising money to help his family.

UNC Wrestling Beats No. 17 Stanford, Claims Share of ACC Regular-Season Title

Carolina earned a 24-9 win at No. 17 Stanford Friday night in California in its ACC regular-season finale. With the win, the Tar Heels improved to 5-1 in league competition and clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title for the first time since the 2018-19 season. UNC finished in a three-way tie in the […]

UNC Wrestling Upsets No. 8 Virginia Tech; First Win vs. Hokies Since 2020

The Carolina wrestling team defeated No. 8 Virginia Tech 20-17 at Carmichael Arena in its opening ACC match on Friday night. It’s the Tar Heels’ first win against the Hokies since the 2019-20 season and the first win in Chapel Hill since the 2018-19 season. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/9yuDkKyJ2k — UNC Wrestling (@UNCWrestling) […]

UNC Wrestler Charged With Felony Assault, Suspended from Team

UNC wrestler Jace Palmer has been charged with felony aggravated assault after punching a fellow student. An incident report from the Chapel Hill Police Department says the assault took place on Monday afternoon at 828 Purefoy Road in Chapel Hill, near the intersection with Howell Street south of the UNC campus. According to court records, […]

›