MARQUETTE, MI— A former NMU adjunct professor has been found not guilty of assaulting a student, following a jury trial in Marquette Tuesday.
Andrew Shirtz, 34, was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. He allegedly threw iced coffee in the face of Evan Reister, NMU’s Turning Point USA president, last April in Jamrich Hall.
The prosecution said Shirtz took issue with a book Reister was promoting called Do Not Comply: Taking Power Back from America’s Corrupt Elite. Witnesses and video footage indicate Shirtz said, “Why is it called do not comply if your party is in control?” He allegedly threw iced coffee on Reister and walked away.
The defense said Reister lied and the incident was an accident.
A jury found Shirtz not guilty.
Shirtz was fired from his job with Northern’s Computer Science Department immediately following the incident.
