Former Quinnipiac University men’s basketball player Dezi Jones and another Quinnipiac student, Ava Librizzi, were arraigned in Connecticut Superior Court Wednesday after being arrested by Hamden police Tuesday evening. 

Jones is facing disorderly conduct and third-degree strangulation charges, per an arrest log obtained by the Chronicle. Librizzi is facing a disorderly conduct charge. 

According to the Hamden Police Department’s March 28 activity log, Hamden police responded to a report of disorderly conduct on Mount Carmel Avenue just before 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Hamden police arrested Jones, a junior applied business major, at the Hamden Police Department at 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Librizzi, a junior health science studies major and a member of the Quinnipiac sideline cheerleading team, was arrested at an off-campus apartment complex in Hamden on a disorderly conduct charge approximately 30 minutes later.

Court records obtained by the Chronicle show that Jones and Librizzi appeared in Meriden Superior Court Wednesday but did not enter pleas. Their cases were continued to June 1 and June 2, respectively.

According to Connecticut law, strangulation or suffocation in the third degree involves “recklessly” restraining another person by the neck or throat or restricting the person’s airway or blood circulation. 

In Connecticut, third-degree strangulation is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Disorderly conduct is a Class C misdemeanor that carries up to three months in jail and a fine of up to $500.

Prior to the arrests Tuesday, Librizzi posted to her public Snapchat story to detail an alleged assault. She wrote in the post that she had been choked and hit in the face and head, according to screenshots obtained by the Chronicle. 

“There will be bruises on my neck (because) he choked me to the point of turning purple,” Librizzi wrote. “I probably have a concussion from the amount of times he hit my head.”

Librizzi wrote that she shared the post to spread “awareness for who everyone thinks their little star bball player is.” She did not mention Jones by name.

“He’s been arrested and will be dealt with accordingly,” Librizzi wrote in a subsequent Snapchat post.

Videos posted to Jones and Librizzi’s public TikTok accounts indicate that the two had been in a relationship since at least May 2022. 

Librizzi declined to comment on the incident. Jones did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

In a statement to the Chronicle on March 29, John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, wrote that “the university takes all Title IX incident reports with utmost seriousness and has policies in place to ensure a thorough review of all allegations.” 

Jones, a Hannibal, Missouri, native, formerly played guard for the men’s basketball team before entering the transfer portal on March 22. He subsequently announced his commitment to continue playing basketball at Austin Peay State University on March 24. 

A representative from Austin Peay did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment. 

The Quinnipiac Chronicle contributed to this report.