Colorado student strikes elderly man after TPUSA chapter gets approved

A Colorado college student was detained by a police officer earlier this month for striking an elderly man during a campus meeting about approving a Turning Point USA chapter.

A Fort Lewis College campus police report details student Megan Elizabeth Hope Mollett being caught on camera and detained by a police officer after hitting local resident Dave Peters, who was celebrating the TPUSA chapter being approved on November 7.

The incident occurred after the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College (ASFLC) voted to approve the TPUSA chapter in an emergency meeting. Their decision came after they previously rejected senior Jonah Flynn's proposal to register the group, which had sparked controversy across campus.

The police report was filed as "harassment" and Mollett was let off with a warning.

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According to the police report, the meeting consisted of around 70 attendees with many sharing opposing political beliefs. The report describes an "elderly male" in a red jacket approaching a student who was "booing and yelling." 

"The male pulled out his phone and began recording the student with his phone approximately a foot away from the student's face," the report stated. "The male was identified as Dave Peters and the student who appears female was later identified as Megan Mollett who goes by Nova and identifies as they/them. Mollett began to strike Peters [sic] phone and hand with an empty Taco Bell cup after he approached with his phone in his hand."

Peters, 66, the former chair of the La Plata County GOP and retired executive at Chevron Corporation, told Fox News Digital on Monday that he did not want to press charges against Mollett, but he did want the university to take disciplinary action.

"After they adjourned the meeting and the people started walking out, about 20 of us started clapping and then there was a fair amount of students that were booing," Peters said.

"Then, right after that, there was this 55-year-old or 60-year-old guy that later we found out he was a former professor at Fort Lewis College, and he started to come up to me, and he said, you're a Nazi, you are a fascist and kept on repeating that," Peters added.

Peters was referring to David Kozak, a retired Fort Lewis professor who was upset over the TPUSA chapter being approved.

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At the same time Mollett was being detained by police, Kozak, a former professor of anthropology at Fort Lewis College, was caught on camera yelling in reaction to the approval of the chapter.

The ASFLC's decision to reverse its earlier rejection to deny the chapter apparently angered Kozak, who flipped off the person filming and called the TPUSA supporters "Nazis."

Neither Mollett nor Kozak responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

The police officer who filed the report said that he told Mollett, who goes by "they/them" pronouns, and everyone who opposed TPUSA to calm down.

"I told Mollett I understood tensions were high due to a politically motivated meeting that was happening, but they needed to take a breath and calm down. I informed Mollett they could be charged with harassment or assault due to striking Peters. After talking with Mollett, I informed her she could go back over to her group of friends, but she needed to remain calm and take a breath."

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Mollett and Kozak's reactions occurred after a challenging few weeks for the TPUSA chapter at the liberal arts college.

Flynn was at the center of controversy when he sought to start a TPUSA chapter, prompting a petition to urge the student government to reject TPUSA. Shortly after the chapter was denied, a counter-petition launched backing the TPUSA chapter, and it was ultimately approved.

In response to Mollett's conduct, a Fort Lewis College spokesperson sent Fox News Digital the following statement. 

"All Fort Lewis College students are expected to uphold the standards outlined in our Student Code of Conduct. The college affirms the importance of free speech while maintaining expectations for civility and safety," the spokesperson said.

When Fox News Digital asked the university if Mollett would face any disciplinary action, the spokesperson declined to provide details.

"We don't comment on student conduct, as that information is protected under federal privacy law (FERPA). However, I can say that the college takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and follows established disciplinary procedures," the spokesperson said.

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Peters told Fox News Digital that he believed in what Kirk stood for.

"I believed in what Charlie Kirk was doing, and I believe that his approach on dealing with people with different views was not overly combative, it was just engaging in the right way to go, and I believe in free speech," Peters said.